


The Snake Habitat

by ziamronica



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Anal Fingering, Blow Jobs, Cunnilingus, F/M, M/M, Oral Sex, Sibling Incest, Sibling Rivalry, Twincest, Vaginal Fingering
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-30
Updated: 2014-01-13
Packaged: 2018-01-03 01:42:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 26,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1064192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ziamronica/pseuds/ziamronica
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a year abroad Zayn brings Liam, an Australian biologist, back to England with him.  Vying for his attention, the Malik twins start resorting to ever more drastic measures to win Liam's heart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [roaroftheninth](https://archiveofourown.org/users/roaroftheninth/gifts).



> Disclaimer: I don't own anyone and am making no profit writing this.
> 
> Author's Note: Please have a look at the tags. They very clearly state that there's going to be twincest in this story. If it bothers you, just hit the X in the top right corner of this page. Thank you. :D
> 
> This is part of my buddy's Christmas gift, so... :D Enjoy, bro!

1.

Lord help the mister that comes between me and my sister... - Irving Berlin

 

“Do you think your sister will like me?“ Liam asked, nervously nibbling his bottom lip.

 

Zayn had seen Liam wrangle snakes with his bare hands, but now he looked positively afraid, like the prospect of meeting Zayn’s stupid little sister (by two minutes) was anything to be afraid of. Zayn looked at their reflections in the polished elevator mirror and shrugged, watching his black leather jacket ripple around his shoulders. The light in here was blueish, Zayn noted. It might work for some photos. His mind was wandering from his sister and Liam Payne’s irrational fear to the prospect of starting uni the next day. He’d enrolled in an art course. His father didn’t know about it yet and Zayn saw no reason to tell him. As far as Mr Malik was concerned his son had enrolled in an Econ course so he’d learn how to manage the family business. Zayn hated the family business.

 

“Stop scowling in the mirror and calm me down,“ Liam said softly and Zayn wouldn’t have registered his words at all if he hadn’t been looking in the mirror and seen Liam’s full lips move. Forcing himself to tune in to his words, Zayn eventually allowed himself to smile.

 

“Why wouldn’t she like you? Besides, we won’t hang out with her much anyway. She’s a bit of a homebody and we were gonna party right?“

 

“Yeah, I guess. It’s just… we’re all gonna live in this apartment together and I want it to work out. I can’t really afford to go back to Australia. Don’t have the money.“ Liam wouldn’t meet Zayn’s eyes in the mirror. He hadn’t had the money to go from Melbourne to London in the first place. Zayn had paid for it and hadn’t really thought much about it.

 

“I’m telling you, Veronica’s not gonna bother you.“

 

She would most likely bother Zayn, but there was nothing to be done about that. Their parents had only agreed to letting either of them go to London for uni if they lived together in an apartment Mr and Mrs Malik chose and paid for. It was probably better than living in a dorm room and there was no way Zayn could have explained to them that their living together was the worst possible idea they could have had. He wasn’t stupid. There were some things you just didn’t tell your parents.

 

At last the elevator arrived on the sixth floor and Zayn shouldered his messenger bag (black leather, decidedly not man purse-ish, thank you very much) and walked towards the door at the end of the hall. The hallway was lit by art deco style lamps casting warm shadows against the walls. Everything smelled of resh paint, like someone had taken the time to redo the hallway for the new tenants. Of course his parents would have chosen a posh place for their children to go to school.

 

Theirs was the only apartment down that hallway, Zayn noticed. Coming home in the dead of night ort he early morning wouldn’t disturb anyone except for Veronica and who cared about her? Certainly not Zayn. If she got bitchy about it he’d just threaten to cut off her hair while she was asleep.

 

Searching for the key which mum had sent him while he was still in Australia, he leaned against the wall to steady himself and the heavy messenger bag over his shoulder. Liam just stood aside and waited patiently, which was kind of unnerving. It made Zayn want to look for his keys quicker so Liam wouldn’t have to wait too long with that ridiculously sweet puppy dog expression on his face. It was also slightly irritating because it made him feel like he was under some kind of pressure here.

 

“Have you lost your key, dickhead?“

 

Zayn’s head snapped up at the familiar nickname. What his gaze met was definitely not a familiar face, though.

 

Mr Malik wasn’t very radical where their religion was concerned; he’d never forced Veronica to wear a hijab or even suggested it to her. Her unfortunate choices of attire were entirely her own doing as far as Zayn was concerned. If you had a Visa Gold and an indulgent father there really was no reason to spend your days in ankle-length skirts and long-sleeved sweaters. That was the last mental image he’d had of Veronica: one of the ridiculous skirts swirling behind her as she walked back into the house while he walked up to the cab taking him to the airport and Australia.

 

The girl who stood in the door to their apartment had Veronica’s voice and she’d called him dickhead, which probably meant she had Veronica’s brain, but she was most certainly not the Veronica he’d left behind in England a year ago. Her dark hair fell loosely around her shoulders, framing a breathtakingly beautiful face, enhanced by subtle make-up. Maybe Zayn would have been all right with that, but that wasn’t where the new Veronica ended. Her red red cocktail dress hugged her breasts snugly, pushing them far higher than Zayn was comfortable with, and showed off her sunkissed shoulders and a pair of dangerously long legs that ended in Christian Louboutins.

 

The little bitch must have planned this. She must’ve been waiting for Zayn to come back home with Liam and surprise him like this. Why the hell would she be wearing such a ridiculous dress otherwise?

 

Raising an eyebrow at her, he walked towards the door, dragging his suitcase behind him. He wasn’t going to acknowledge this little show with words or deeds.

 

“That’s my mate, Liam. I e-mailed you about him,“ he said curtly when he brushed past her and into the apartment. The hallway alone was big enough to swallow the Australian place he’d shared with Liam twice. Everything, from the wallpaper to the furniture, was a careful blend of antiques and modern comfort, which Zayn was all right with. He’d never said he didn’t like his parents’ ridiculous luxury.

 

Wandering into the living room, he discovered that they had a TV big enough for a cinema screen and a white leather couch that could have easily doubled as an elephant’s bed. He was okay with that really. It wasn’t Liam’s style exactly and it would take some time to make him accept his new living arrangements, but Zayn was glad he wasn’t hanging around in snake habitats anymore. Sure, there was the matter of Liam’s snake habitat, but that would resolve itself soon enough.

 

He heard the clicking of the Christian Louboutins on the wooden floor behind himself and turned around to face Veronica. There was something new in the way she held her chin so high when she met his gaze. She raised an eyebrow at him, an imitation of the gesture he’d met her appearance with.

 

“It’ll do,“ he said, answering the question she’d never asked.

 

“The room at the end of that hallway over there is mine. You can choose one from the others. I’d stay and help you settle in, but I got a date.“

 

Veronica didn’t have dates. That was something that just didn’t happen. If Veronica was the kind of girl to have dates The Thing would have never happened and Zayn would have never gone to Australia. For a moment the world around Zayn seemed to bleed out until it was bare of colour. The only thing that wasn’t dead to him was Veronica’s dress and the enticing views it offered. It was the one point of focus Zayn still had left, the only thing that mattered and he imagined ripping it off her. He could practically feel the delicate satin tearing under his fingers, leaving her bare and humiliated to the rest of the world. She didn’t go out. She never went out. It just wasn’t a thing with Veronica and Zayn didn’t want there to be things about his sister that he wasn’t familiar with. If that had changed, who knew what else might have changed about her?

 

“A date?“ he finally asked, keeping his voice as steady as he could. “Who’d want to go out with you, dumbface?“

 

“Oh, very many people actually. You’d be surprised. My date for tonight is the charming Harry Styles. I gotta go now. See you later.“

 

She blew him an ironic kiss and Zayn didn’t do anything to hold her back. Looking out of the big panorama windows, out at the ever pulsing city of London with its millions of lights and people and stories, he waited until the clicking of her heels had retreated into the hallway. When he could no longer hear it, he looked down at the veined peaks of his knuckles. What the fuck had happened in the year he hadn’t been there? Who was this Harry Styles?

 

 

Thirty minutes later Veronica was sitting in a booth of the Horse&Hound, her friends’ favourite bar. Harry was cuddled against her side, his long arms slung around her shoulders while Louis was animatedly gesturing on her other side. His face was red and sweaty, partially because he’d been there for longer than either of them and partly because he was working himself up to proper fury, fuelled by the pink cocktails he was emptying at a rapid speed.

 

“What do you mean he didn’t say anything? If I came home after a year and my sister had suddenly turned into a proper babe I’d at least tell her she’s pretty or something.“

 

Veronica shrugged, causing Harry’s arm to slip off her shoulder down to her hip, which didn’t stop him from rubbing comforting circles into her skin. She could practically feel the sympathy (or was it pity?) oozing from his pores and trickle into her. It wasn’t a very comfortable feeling.

 

“Zayn’s always been an asshole,“ Veronica replied. “He calls me dumbface, after all.“

 

“Which is a very demeaning nickname that no one should call anyone else,“ Harry said, his cherry-red lips setting into a slight pout. “I wouldn’t want to be called that.“

 

“I’d never do that to you, lovely.“

 

Veronica rolls her eyes at Louis and Harry flirting over her. They’d been a couple for about three years already and they were still acting like they somehow had to reassure each other of their continued adoration and love. Like they even had to. Even a blind man would have been able to tell that they were truly, madly, disgustingly in love with and perfect for each other. It didn’t really solve Veronica’s problem, though.

 

The plan had been to get back at Zayn for being such an asshole right before he’d left. Telling her she’d always be the ugly duckling and all that. There was The Thing, too, but tonight was not the night to think about that. Shuddering, she emptied her shot of Jägermeister and turned towards Harry.

 

“Tell Cara thank you for letting me borrow the dress, though.“

 

Harry nodded happily. “I could Instagram you in it. She’d love to see that and my followers, too, I’m sure.“

 

Veronica rolled her eyes at him, but got up so he could take a picture with his camera. She even did different poses for him, following his directions. Denying Harry Styles was next to impossible and Veronica was well aware of that. She'd met Harry at a charity dinner her father's company gave once a year and for some reason she had caught his eye. Harry had no official job besides being a socialite and so had taken her under his wing. She might have disliked him for living off his parents who ran a party service if it wasn't for his charm and sweetness. Harry had instantly seen how sad she was, how much she needed to change her life, and he'd made that happen. The supply of numbers in his mobile phone was endless and if Harry called the stylist Lou Teasdale and asked her for an appointment he was granted one instantly. Lou had cut Veronica's hip-length mass of dark hair to a cute, girlish length and had taught her how to use eyeliner without mutilating herself.

 

She'd never forget the first look into the mirror after Lou was done with her. She was no longer Veronica Malik, the nerd who cried at an A-, she was... well, fit. And her transformation from frumpy teenager to college babe hadn't ended there. Harry knew models and designers whose critical eyes picked out Veronica's strengths and weaknesses, who put her into clothes she'd never dared to choose for herself and who made her believe that she wasn't the ugly duckling.

 

But none of that had done her any good tonight when meeting Zayn.

 

“He always thinks that he can get away with anything just because he was born fit. I mean, yeah, he's fit, but that whole bad boy persona, why are girls even falling for that? Or lads, for that matter. He's so... so... infuriating!” Veronica was waving her arms about and it was only when she accidentally hit the side of Harry's face that she stopped. “I'm twenty years old and upset that my brother wasn't in awe of my fitness. What is my life?”

 

“I think it's a very admirable goal to prove to your arch nemesis that you're hot,” Louis interrupted her self-loathing. “In fact-”

 

“No, Louis.” Harry's voice was very stern, or as stern as Harry could ever hope to get.

 

Veronica was pretty sure that she knew what this was all about. Louis worked as a radio DJ and while his show was highly popular, he still lacked the sheer number of listeners that Nick Grimshaw, the BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show DJ, had. Nick's and Louis' rivalry was legendary and included pranks that had destroyed thousands of pounds in equipment. Veronica could see why Harry would want to avoid any further escalation of that situation.

 

“Well, fine,” Louis huffed. “Then I won't do that. You're just gonna have to do it for me too, V. Let's show the douches of this world!”

 

Suddenly Louis' eyes narrowed and a smirk started tugging at the corners of his mouth. Veronica recognised that expression and she waited. In a moment Louis would come up with a plan and, judging from how lopsided his smirk was, it would be good.

 

“Didn't you say your brother was into dick? And didn't you say he brought home that super cute Aussie?”

 

Veronica had barely looked at Liam in her haste to show her new look to Zayn, but the fleeting impression of abs and biceps remained.

 

“Yeah, on all counts. But why would that matter?”

 

“Let's face it: I've seen enough pictures of your brother to confirm that, yeah, he is super fit. But he hasn't managed to pull the Aussie yet. Still, he's brought him here, which means that he's either a good mate or someone he still means to pull. So... your mission will be to do it before he can. Make sweet, sweet love to the Aussie, is what I'm saying.”

 

Perhaps it was a trick of the disco lights, but in that moment Louis looked downright evil. His eyes were narrowed to slits and the fingers curled around his cocktail glass reminded Veronica of the claws of a demon. But he did have a point. Zayn had never had many mates, mostly because he had a tendency to take their girlfriends home and fuck them in the basement. Liam was the only real friend he'd ever had and taking him from Zayn, whether as a friend or a boyfriend, would pay him back for making her feel ugly. And for The Thing. Not that she was going to think about that now. Not here. She couldn't even think about it easily in broad daylight, but the dark club with its multicoloured lights and booming bass definitely wasn't the right place.

 

“Wouldn't that be unfair to Liam, though?” Harry broke her reverie. “You'll probably feel better for a moment, but what about him and his feelings?”

 

“Don't be so concerned with people you don't even know. We're here to help Veronica, aren't we?” Louis shot back. “Her brother's a knob and he deserves to be put down a notch. If this'll help then why shouldn't she do it?”

 

Harry pursed his lips and shook his head, but he said no more. Veronica leaned her head against his shoulder in silent apology. He was probably right, but for once in her life Veronica didn't want to be nice. She wanted something nameless, something dark and she knew this was the way to get it.

 

When she clinked her glass against Louis' it felt like she was sealing a pact with the devil.

 

 

2.

 

“Your sister looks nice,” Liam said and took a bite from his pizza.

 

Zayn had never been much of a cook and they'd only just arrived so he'd ordered pizza for them. Liam had informed him that this would be the only time he'd partake in such unhealthy refreshments. He needed to maintain his figure and the way to do that was clean eating. Zayn had shrugged and offered to take the pizza away again. After a brief fist fight (which Liam had naturally won) they were eating it out of the greasy box, watching some TV show.

 

When Liam spoke of Veronica, Zayn's shoulders tensed and his fingers tightened on his pizza slice, pushing the tomato sauce under his nails. “Nice? Veronica isn't nice. She's a bitch. She was always dad's good little girl who brought home all the As and no boyfriends. Once I was making out with this seriously hot bird, right? And she just wanders into my room without knocking because there was a fucking spider on her bed. Do I look like a bloody janitor to you?”

 

Liam slowly finished chewing his mouthful of pizza before he spoke again. Everything was always very slow and controlled about Liam Payne, but Zayn didn't really mind looking at that beautiful plush mouth of his, especially when it was shiny with grease. He could think of better places to put it and other things to make it shine with, but he was content with this for now.

 

“I think that perhaps you should've been nicer to her. She was probably scared of that spider and wanted you to help her.”

 

This was not a direction Zayn was very comfortable with. Liam wasn't supposed to side with Veronica! He was supposed to agree with Zayn that little sisters were annoying and should just stay away when there were fit girls to be made out with.

 

“Perhaps I just didn't feel like it,” he muttered and went back to his pizza although it didn't taste as good anymore.

 

There was something he didn't tell Liam, though. When the bird had left, clearly embarrassed about the whole incident, he'd stormed into Veronica's room and yelled at her. He wasn't particularly proud about the things he'd said to her then and the fact that she could make him feel uncomfortable about himself only fuelled his anger.

 

“ _Just because no one would ever make out with you you have no right to interrupt me! That girl was super fit! Are you jealous because she's everything that you are not?”_

 

His own words had burned themselves into his brain like a cattle mark and his cheeks still burned with shame when he thought back to that night. It wasn't even true. Veronica had never been ugly, not even in her days of frumpy skirts and long-sleeved jumpers. He'd just been so angry then and he'd hurled the first thing he could think of at her.

 

Shaking his head, he forced himself to return to the present. There was no point in thinking about this; the past could never be changed, no matter how enticing that seemed sometimes.

 

“Do you have any early morning classes?” Zayn asked. “I don't think the art department has any this semester.”

 

“That's probably because all artists are lazy night owls,” Liam teased and nudged his elbow against Zayn's ribs.

 

“We can't all spend our days snake wrangling under the Australian sun.”

 

“It's not snake wrangling! That was just because it was in your pants.” Liam blushed at that and busied himself with his pizza again.

 

Zayn let it go because he knew that any banter with Liam would have been futile at that point.

 

The time Liam had saved him from the snake had been the first and last time Liam Payne's hand had been anywhere near Zayn's cock, which was something he meant to remedy soon. It seemed unfair to him that he had been so close to the goal because of a fucking  _snake_. Normally he didn't need any props to get what he wanted. Unfortunately Liam had proved to be a particularly difficult case. The thing was, you couldn't just seduce Liam the way you'd do it with other people. Other people understood that they were going to be seduced and acted accordingly. Some signalled that they had absolutely no interest whatsoever (not that that happened very often to Zayn) and others joined in the flirting, helping him move things along. Of course there'd been a couple of virgins, but no one quite like Liam. The young snake wrangler never reacted to any compliments, not even the painfully obvious ones. Once Zayn had run his hand up Liam's arm, admiring his biceps.

 

“You have very strong arms,” he'd breathed.

 

“Oh, thank you! I could take you to the gym if you want a pair like that for yourself.”

 

He hadn't even been uncomfortable or anything, he just hadn't understood it. At all. Zayn had grown increasingly frustrated with Liam's complete lack of understanding and a month before his journey home he'd been no closer to Liam's snake habitat than he had been at the beginning of their acquaintance. He liked to think that he wasn't that pathetic, but part of his reason to take Liam back home with him was that he did need more time to make Liam see that they could have something together. And it might take his mind off The Thing, which wouldn't hurt either. Zayn really, really didn't want to think about that ever again.

 

“So, Liam Payne, show me your skills on the Wii,” he said and soon they were lost in Mario Kart and Zayn could forget about Veronica and The Thing for a while.

 

 

Veronica left the Horse&Hound at just after ten. Harry had protested, saying she didn’t have any morning classes, but she’d waved him off and kissed his cheek.

 

“I need to go home and make sure my brother hasn’t burned down the place or something.“

 

Louis scowled darkly at the idea of Zayn Malik doing such a thing. The thing about Louis was, once he had decided to dislike someone it was very hard to dissuade him. His enmity was complete and usually didn’t bode well for whoever had managed to piss him off.

 

“Give him hell, love. Wear the tiny shorts for breakfast tomorrow and make sure the Aussie sees them. You could drop stuff and bend over and-“

 

Harry pulled Louis back towards the club. “Stay classy and don’t do everything Louis says. He has no idea how to seduce a man. Just be yourself.“

 

With Harry’s advice ringing in her ears, she’d gotten into the cab and went home. Home. She’d been living in the apartment for a couple of months now and it did feel like hers in a way. Zayn didn’t feel like he really belonged there just yet, but knowing how messy her brother was, it wouldn’t take long before the apartment smelled of smoke and leather jackets.

 

When she came home the lads were passed out in front of the TV, a greasy pizza box between them on the couch. It was the first time Veronica could really get a good look at either of them. Slipping out of her shoes, she silently padded over to stand in front of the TV. Liam Payne’s tan face was covered in manly stubble that couldn’t hide the sensitivity of his full mouth. He was a study in contrasts; a manly body with impressive abs shining through his white undershirt paired with the face of a little boy. She wondered why Zayn had decided to befriend him. Maybe Louis was right and it wasn’t meant to be a friendship really.

 

She turned towards Zayn, but then shook her head. There were better ways to ruin her night. Like setting her cell phone for six in the morning so she’d wake up in time to wake up Zayn for his Econ classes. No one had told her to make sure that her brother did well for his classes, of course, but she couldn’t just let him fend for himself. Zayn never slept particularly well and the jetlag had probably fucked up his fragile sleeping patterns further. She wasn’t sure why she was even taking his wellbeing into account. He didn’t even deserve her help, but she knew she’d feel anxious if he didn’t leave the house on time.

 

She went into the bathroom and braided her hair so it wouldn’t look too messy in the morning before she went to bed. As soon as her head hit the pillow she fell asleep. Veronica had never had Zayn’s sleeping issues.

 

 

3.

 

When Zayn woke up the next morning he was momentarily too surprised to complain about the sunlight burning in his eyes to say anything. A quick look at the bedside alarm clock told him that it was ten past six. Six in the morning. That was no time for him to wake up even under the best of circumstances and his long stay in Australia had messed up his sleeping pattern completely. He’d woken up in the middle of the night and stumbled into bed where he’d spent the better part of the night lying awake. It wasn’t fair that he should be awake again so soon. Why was he even awake?

 

“Good morning,“ Veronica chirped cheerfully. “I decided to wake you up for your first day of class.“

 

“I don’t have class in the morning,“ Zayn groaned, burying his face in the pillow and hoping that she’d get the hint.

 

“I beg to differ, dearest brother. I took the liberty to have mum send me your schedule and you have macro economics at eight-thirty.“

 

Her voice was piercing through his skull like a knife, forcing him into wakefulness.

 

“I do not have macro economics because I’m not actually enrolled in Econ,“ he replied at last, pulling the pillow over his head to block out the bitching that would surely follow his admission. “If you wanna tell dad, be my guest, but get the fuck out of my room and let me sleep.“

 

He heard her padding closer to the bed and a moment later the mattress dipped under her weight. Apparently she wasn’t planning on going away and he’d have to deal with her. Blinking owlishly, he pulled the pillow off his head.

 

“You’re doing art, right? You always wanted to do that.“ Her voice was soft, not at all confrontational, like he’d expected it would be. He would have preferred it if she had said something stupid he could have argued with, but she was just being… nice.

 

“Yeah.“ Zayn didn’t know what else to say. Balancing on his elbows, he looked up at her. “Are you gonna tell dad?“

 

Veronica shrugged, making her thick braid bounce on her shoulder. She bit her lip and then shook her head. “No, he’s gonna find out soon enough anyway. I won’t wake you up again then.“

 

She rose to leave and Zayn was about to settle back into the heavenly softness of his pillows when something occurred to him. “V, wait. Did you get up this early just to wake me up?“

 

Her back was still turned to him, but he knew exactly what she’d look like. Her eyes would widen a little as the colour rose in her cheeks and, biting her lip, she’d hastily turn her head aside to avoid his eyes. He knew her better than anyone else in the world and he was sure that she couldn’t have changed so much that he wouldn’t know this about her.

 

“Yeah, but as I said, it won’t happen again.“

 

When she closed the door behind herself Zayn could already tell he wasn’t going to fall back asleep any time soon. She’d probably keep her word and not tell their father about his secret choice of major, but he hadn’t wanted her to find out like this. He hadn’t wanted her to wake him up either. It made him feel like an arse for not having been kinder to her the night before and he didn’t want to feel that way. The directionless frustration weighed heavily on his chest like a nightmare, pressing down on him until he couldn’t breathe.

 

Why did Veronica always have to do things that he didn’t expect and that he could do nothing about? Like The Thing, but he wasn’t going to think about that now or he’d never go back to sleep. He’d just do his best to avoid her from now on and everything else would sort itself out. Yeah, that was exactly what he was going to do. He eventually drifted back off to sleep, but his dreams were no respite from reality.

 

 

Veronica went to her room to get changed into the short shorts after her brief conversation with Zayn. So he’d ignored their parents’ wishes and enrolled in an art course. Well, this information might serve her well later on. She put on a tight tanktop to go with the shorts and walked into the kitchen to put a kettle on. To her surprise Liam was already sat at the kitchen counter, wearing a pair of trackies and a loose sweater.

 

“Good morning,“ he said cheerfully although he blushed when she came closer.

 

Apparently the short shorts were doing what they were supposed to. Excellent. And Zayn wasn’t even around to spoil things so she could work her charm on Liam Payne without interruption. Walking around the kitchen counter, she sat next to him, spreading her legs slightly to make sure he had a good view of the soft inner sides of her thighs.

 

“Zayn said you have a job at the zoo? Working with snakes?“ She widened her eyes a little to show him how impressive she thought that was. Men liked hearing themselves talk, enjoyed showing off. Liam Payne couldn’t possibly be an exception to that rule.

 

“Y-yes, I mean, that’s the plan. I’m not sure if they’re gonna let me work with their snakes just yet, but I’d love to. I-I love snakes.“

 

His stuttering was endearing and for a moment Veronica wished she didn’t have to follow Louis’ plan. It would have been nice to have a friend like Liam who could get so flustered and who was genuinely excited about his work. Veronica had chosen to major in English because she didn’t really know what else to do. She wasn’t sure about anything and she hadn’t been in a long time, ever since The Thing, to be precise. But she was definitely not going to think about The Thing while Liam was sitting next to her, all sweet and innocent.

 

“What do you like about snakes?“ she asked, making sure to breathe the last word and give it a double meaning.

 

Liam didn’t seem to get it, though, and happily launched into a longwinded description of his favourite snake. “You’d think that such a magnificent animal could defend itself, but unfortunately they’re quite fragile and there aren’t very many of them left and that’s why I want to help preserve them. So that other kids can see them and think they’re cool too.“

 

Veronica could have cared less about the Red-eyed Mandrake Snake, but Liam’s enormous brown eyes lit up when he was talking about them and he seemed to lose his shyness. He was making wide gestures, trying to explain just why he was devoting his life to this particular snake. Veronica even forgot to try and be seductive, but she probably didn’t have to be. She knew what she looked like in those shorts and that tank top. She wasn’t wearing a bra either and the kitchen was cool enough for her nipples to harden. He’d see them, she was sure and if he wasn’t gay he’d want them. It was Louis who had taught her to feel that way about herself, ready to take on the world and never take no for an answer.

 

“I’m sure they’ll let you work with the Red-eyed Mandrake,“ she said when he had finished, making sure to bat her lashes at him. “You’re definitely gonna be their most enthusiastic employee.“

 

“D’you think?“ Liam smiled at her and she felt something in her chest, something raw and painful. There’d been boys in the year since school had ended, but never one who looked at her like that, who smiled like the sun had just risen for a new day. She wished she could bathe in that smile.

 

“Yeah, I’m sure. Hey, I need to get ready for class now, but I’ll see you tonight. I can make dinner if you want.“

 

Zayn wouldn’t get dinner from her and if he was dying from starvation. He had two perfectly healthy hands to do that for him.

 

“That’d be great! I need to eat clean to stay fit, you know? I don’t wanna end up with pudding arms again.“

 

“I can’t imagine you with pudding arms, but I’ll find something with lots of protein for you to eat, okay?“ With a last smile she walked into her room, leaning against the door and taking a deep breath. She’d have to step up her game if she wanted to steal Liam from Zayn, but first she needed to come to terms with the fact that Liam was a genuinely nice guy. Once she was over that she could start the charm offensive and make him hers.

 

 

On the subway she got a text from Louis:

 

_Is the aussie between your thighs yet? ;) x_

 

The old Veronica would have probably blushed and squirmed in her seat until someone had asked her if something was the matter. As things were, she merely smiled and started typing a reply on her BlackBerry.

 

_No, I couldn’t do it. He was too cute. D:_

She imagined Louis frowning over that message and showing it to Harry to get a second opinion. A couple of minutes later her phone vibrated with a new message:

 

_Meet us for lunch. –H xx_

Veronica’s first couple of classes went pretty much the same as she had expected. She knew she’d do well enough in them although they weren’t exactly her idea of exciting. Maybe she should’ve taken a gap year instead of doing an internship. It might have helped her get a better idea of what she wanted to do with her life. Reading and analysing texts for English wasn’t a burden or anything, but it wasn’t particularly exciting either, nothing she could get passionate about.

 

She was glad for Harry’s and Louis’ company during lunch. They’d taken her out to a small exclusive café to celebrate her first day of uni. Louis was wearing trackies and a beanie while Harry had chosen his usual black skinny jeans and a cashmere sweater that looked like Veronica was going to steal it sooner rather than later.

 

Once they were seated, Louis wriggled his eyebrows in her in a very obvious attempt at getting her to speak. Rolling her eyes at him, she took the cloth napkin and delicately placed it over her skirt like her mother had shown her when she was little.

 

“I wore the short shorts and we talked. He told me about that snake he likes.“

 

“Snake? Is that Aussie for, like, bird?“ Louis asked. “As in a human being with tits?“

 

“Well, no. As in a poisonous reptile without legs.“

 

Louis stared at her like he was trying to figure out if she was joking. When he reached the conclusion that she was, indeed, serious about this he banged his forehead against the edge of the table and groaned.

 

“What the hell is wrong with that man? I mean, personally I’m gay, but I’d definitely look at the short shorts. You can’t not look when someone is wearing them.“

 

“Then I could at least seduce you,“ Veronica said, pouting cutely. “You want me, babe, admit it.“

 

“If I wasn’t dating the most beautiful boy in the world I’d do my best to get into pussy just for you,“ Louis replied solemnly.

 

The waiter took their orders then (steak for Louis, lasagna for Veronica and something healthy-sounding and hipster-y for Harry) and their conversation was momentarily interrupted. By the time the man had walked away Veronica was starting to despair again. If she couldn’t bring herself to actually seduce Liam how would she get back at Zayn?

 

“He’s like a baby penguin, all cute and… fluffy,“ Veronica ended lamely. “I can’t work with that level of innocence.“

 

Harry looked like he wanted to approve of her newly found insight, but Louis quickly held his hand up. “Sometimes you have to be a bitch to succeed in this world, V. Do you want your brother to bite his own arse or not?“

 

Veronica cringed at the mental image of Zayn biting his skinny derriere, but nodded. “I’m cooking him dinner tonight. Maybe I can try something then.“

 

“Excellent. We’ll call you later and see how it went.“

 

They didn’t speak about Liam or the plan for the rest of their lunch, but Veronica couldn’t help but drift in and out of the conversation. Her attention was like a piece of wood drifting on the ocean, carried here and there against her will. She had never told Louis and Harry the full truth of what had happened right before Zayn’s departure to Australia, but she had a feeling that her reluctance to seduce the innocent Liam had something to do with it.

 

 

Veronica went shopping after her afternoon classes, buying all she needed to cook Liam Payne a healthy anti-pudding arm dinner. She’d decided to make spicy tofu with veggies. It wasn’t the most elaborate meal she was capable of making, but she didn’t want to seem over eager either. People who knew they were courted tended to play coy and she had no time to lose here. Zayn tended to work quickly and now that he had separated Liam from his home country and his friends he would probably try to score. Well, he wouldn’t do that, not if she could help it.

 

Humming along to Katie Perry, she walked up the stairs (you didn’t get legs like hers from using the elevator all the time) and opened the door to their apartment. She crinkled her nose at the smell of burned tobacco that hung in the air. Zayn hadn’t wasted no time in making himself at home. Opening windows as she moved from the flat, she made her way over to the kitchen and dumped the plastic bags on top of the island.

 

“Anyone home?“ she called.

 

She wouldn’t be surprised at all if Zayn pretended not to be home and burst out of his room at some later point in order to scare her. She knew all his tricks having lived with him for nineteen years. She was prepared in case he tried to do anything of that sort. Switching on the radio, she started laying out the ingredients for her spicy tofu. She’d always found cooking to be a relaxing activity. Everything had its place and time. You only needed to follow the instructions to get perfect results every time and even if something went wrong it wasn’t the end of the world because you could simply start over.

 

She was cutting the vegetables when the door opened. “Who goes there?“ she yelled over her shoulder.

 

“It’s just me,“ Liam replied, walking into the kitchen. “Oh wow, that looks great.“

 

He sat on the bar stool at the kitchen counter and watched her cutting bell peppers. She could tell that he wasn’t really looking at her hands, though. His gaze was wandering a bit higher to the valley of her breasts peeking from the low V neck of her shirt. She knew that because she had chosen that shirt precisely so he could admire her body.

 

“Did you mean the food?“ Veronica asked slyly and Liam blushed crimson.

 

It was endearing how quickly the colour spread from his cheeks down to his neck, vanishing under his shirt. She wondered if that broad chest of his would be just as dark if she pulled up his shirt to look.

 

“I… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be impolite or anything. I’m…“

 

“It’s fine, Liam. I don’t mind if you look, not at all – provided I’m free to look as well.“

Turning to the stove, she winked at him and she could see him exhale in relief. She reminded herself not to underestimate the fact that she was Zayn’s sister. There was this weird bro code that you couldn’t do anything with your mate’s sister unless your mate was cool with it. Of course she’d find a way to work around it, but first she needed to make him understand that she was perfectly open to doing anything he wanted to do with her.

 

“Do you like it a bit sweeter or… spicy?“ Veronica asked, making sure to lower her voice towards the end of her question.

 

She felt his reluctance drifting away at her question. Something was building in the air between them, something almost thick enough to cut with a knife. His eye looked almost black when he got up and walked around the kitchen counter to lean against the other side of the stove. She could feel the heat from his body, from that broad chest and strong arms that would feel so good circled around her waist. The musk of his skin was mingling with the simmering tofu, but she could still pick out the head note of it. Something about Liam Payne smelled like sunshine and endless meadows, possibly populated by snakes. She grinned at the oddly whimsical thought and then his fingers were on her wrist and she couldn’t think anymore at all. The strength in his fingers was surely only a faint echo of what he was capable of, but even so she felt sparks skittering over her skin, making her catch her breath. Without thinking she reached up to touch his shoulder, feeling the muscle rippling beneath his shirt and skin.

 

Liam rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand, tracing the delicate bones of her fingers. Her hand looked so small next to his, so fragile, like he could crush it any minute. Oddly enough that thought didn’t scare her at all.

 

“I… I think I should wash my hands before dinner,“ Liam said and whipped around, fleeing like this was a murder scene and the police was close.

 

Veronica looked down at her hand where his skin had met hers. It had been a while since a boy had been able to excite her by simply holding her hand. Shaking her head both at him and herself, she turned back to her pan and the task at hand. She’d made a step in the right direction, now all she needed to do was keep it up. Liam did want her, she was sure of that now. There was a spring to her steps as she moved around the kitchen and set out plates for two. Zayn probably hadn’t made it that far with Liam. He could go and eat her dust.

 

 

4.

 

When Zayn came home after his last class he was tired and grumpy. He hadn’t slept very well after Veronica’s interruption and classes had turned out to be far more theoretical than he’d thought. There were only two classes in which he was actually allowed to create anything with his own two hands. The rest of his time would be devoted to studying old masters and maybe, if the class proved to be good enough, copying their paintings.

 

When he opened the door to the flat all he wanted was to flop down on the couch and watch telly until he passed out, but it wasn’t to be. He could hear animated voices ringing through the hallway and to the entrance hall where he was struggling with his shoes. Kicking them into the corner without bothering to put them in an orderly line like Veronica and Liam did, he stomped into the living area. Veronica and Liam were sitting on the white couch, plates balanced on their knees and having the time of their life or so it seemed.

 

Zayn had seen enough girls flirt to know what the little bitch was doing. Her upper body was angled so Liam had a good view of the swell of her breasts under her tight fitting shirt and she was twirling her hair around her finger, drawing even more attention to her chest area. Every now and then she’d giggle at something he’d said, not her usual horse snort laugh, but a really cute one. The noise grated on his already raw nerves and he wished she’s just shut the fuck up already.

 

“Oh, hi!“ Liam turned and beamed at him when he walked in. “We just had dinner, but there’s enough left if you want any.“

 

“No, thanks.“

 

Zayn walked past them without stopping to look at Veronica’s show. He had no idea what the hell she was up to and he wasn’t going to hang around and find out. This day had simply been too long for him to even consider entering the ring with Veronica and fighting this out. She could try and land her blows, but he was going to take a rain check on this for tonight.

He could feel the entire weight of his own body dragging him down. Slumping face first on the bed, he let out a sigh that could have melted a stone. His head felt like leprechauns were dancing tango inside and his fingertips were like ice, making him clumsy and slightly uncoordinated when he tried to pull the blanket over himself. He almost cried when he failed to make the blanket cooperate.

 

His life in London was not at all how he had imagined it to go. Instead of clubbing and painting he was stuck analysing boring old paintings and watching his sister flirt with Liam. The thing about Liam was… Zayn actually liked him. With Liam he felt safe, like the rest of the world could go to pieces, he’d still be resting in the cradle of Liam’s arms and laugh at the fools running from the flames. Or something. He actually liked him and that didn’t happen very often. He wondered if Veronica had any idea of his feelings for Liam or if she was just doing this because she was fit now.

 

With immense difficulty he managed to roll himself into the blanket and curled onto his side. Tiny daggers seemed to be piercing his brain, but not the polka dancing leprechauns, unfortunately. Those were still alive and kicking. Pulling the blanket over his head, he willed them to go the fuck away.

 

“Z?“ The door opened and when he looked up he could see Veronica’s slim silhouette against the light from the living room. “Are you okay?“

 

“Just a headache. Go away.“ He wasn’t going to be vulnerable in front of her. Veronica didn’t get to see him like this because she’d use it to her advantage. He’d learned early on that behind the sweet smile his sister was hiding a cold-hearted bitch. She’d been the one to tell dad about his smoking habit. He could still see her bouncing in front of his father’s armchair, sing-songing her news like a dog waiting for a treat. He’d hated her then, both for telling on him and the proud expression in his father’s eyes when he’d patted her head.

 

“You really didn’t look very good when you came in.“ Sitting beside him, she reached for his forehead and everything inside Zayn seemed to go tense, like a tiny animal poised to jump. He could feel her warm weight beside him and a moment later her hand came to rest on his forehead. It smelled of lemons, but her own scent was hiding just beneath, sweet and familiar.

 

“You feel a little hot. D’you want me to run down to the pharmacy and get you something?“

 

Zayn wanted to shake his head, but that would have involved far too much movement for his liking. The leprechauns would take advantage of his vulnerable state and launch a new dance attack.

 

“Okay.“

 

“I’ll be right back then. Do you want an extra blanket? We got some spare ones in the hallway closet.“

 

Zayn hadn’t been aware that they even owned a hallway closet, but he wasn’t going to complain about some extra warmth. He was feeling like one of those poor bastards who were sent to the North Pole to study penguins. Or where ever the hell it was that penguins lived. Why was he even thinking of penguins?

 

The whole penguin track of thought seemed to have lasted much longer than he’d been aware of because at the end of it Veronica was back, waving a pharmacy bag at him.

 

“First some paracetamol. It’ll make it much better, promise.“

 

She handed him the pill and watched as he swallowed it with a glass of water she’d placed in his other hand. Zayn looked up at her, meeting her eyes for the first time since he’d left England for Australia. She was beautiful, he thought. She’d always been, but now he was no longer the only one to see that. He wordlessly held out his arms for her. He was so cold and everything inside of him felt raw and wounded and he just needed this, needed some comfort even if Veronica was the one to give it. She hesitated for a moment like she wasn’t sure if she should give in to him, but then she lay down beside him.

 

“That cold, huh?“ Resting her head against his chest, she drew the extra blanket over them. “Did you have a bad time at uni? You got sick on our very first day of school because the teacher told you your rainbow looked too spooky.“

 

Zayn inhaled the scent of her hair, disappointed to find that she no longer used the same shampoo that had been a staple of their teenage years. It wasn’t that he disliked the new scent, but it was different and it made him question everything between them. Still, he tightened his arms around her, pulling her closer, like she was a living hot water bottle.

 

“It sucked,“ he admitted. “I have like two classes where I can actually paint. The rest is art history and copying old masters. I don’t wanna do that. I don’t wanna paint like someone else.“

 

He felt Veronica’s hand at the back of his neck, warming up the skin there, while her breath sent little cold showers fizzing over his skin. He felt cold sweat pearl between his shoulder blades and on his forehead.

 

“I know you wouldn’t agree with me there, but once I read a quote about art and it said ’you need to know the rules so you can break them’. Perhaps that’s what they’re going for there? You can’t expect them to just give you a brush and ask you to go to town. You need to know the theory, too.“

 

Of course he should have expected Veronica to try and be logical about this. Bitching and moaning wasn’t her style. Well, it wasn’t his either, not with other people at least. Oddly enough, it was always Veronica who got to hear any of that. Or maybe it wasn’t so odd, after all. They were twins, no matter how much they liked denying being related to each other in any way, shape or form.

 

“I don’t like rules,“ he replied grumpily and she ruffled his hair.

 

“I know, sweetie.“ They both flinched at the endearment, but Zayn tightened his grip on her waist so she couldn’t slip out of his arms.

 

“Don’t,“ he whispered. “Just stay with me tonight. I don’t wanna be alone.“

 

She pulled back a little and something flitted over her features, something he couldn’t properly place. It seemed like she wanted to pull him closer with one hand and shove him away with the other. But she didn’t do either of these things because Veronica wasn’t a melodramatic bitch. She settled back against the pillow and looked up at the ceiling, her long eyelashes throwing shadows against the wall.

 

“You didn’t have to…“ She trailed off and Zayn didn’t ask her what she’d meant to say because he knew and he didn’t want to hear her say it out loud. It felt like a spell, like saying it would give it a shape and a form it hadn’t previously possessed and he knew that once that terrible magical creature was out in the open there was no way they could ever make it leave. It would always be right there between them and there was too much in the way already.

 

“Let me sleep,“ he murmured, burying his face in the warm juncture of her neck and shoulder; her skin was like silk and velvet and mother’s knitted jumpers that no one liked wearing.

 

That night he dreamed of wearing one of mum’s jumpers, the orange one his friends had teased him about when he was little. He’d cut it into tiny pieces and stuffed it into the bottom of the dustbin. But that wasn’t what happened in the dream. He was standing in the middle of a large room with all his friends and family. Veronica was right in front of him, wearing that right dress from the day before. Her lips were red, too, but he wasn’t sure if it was lipstick or blood. The jumper unravelled around him, the threads coiling away from his body like snakes and no matter how hard he clutched at them they always escaped his grasp, slithering away from him. Veronica was holding out her hands for the strands and they sailed over to rest on her palms, obedient as little dogs.

 

At last Zayn stood before her and the other watchers, naked and crying. Everything he was, everything he’d ever been was bare to their view and judgment. He couldn’t hide, even in his dreams.

 

 

5.

 

Veronica left the warm blanket nest around five in the morning. Zayn didn’t move when she slipped out of his arms, but he moaned softly. He was dreaming and, judging from the way his eyebrows were knitted together, it couldn’t be a very good dream. She didn’t want to wake him up, though. For one thing he didn’t appreciate it and she also wasn’t sure what to say to him. What did you say to your brother after you’d spent the night in his arms, she thought to herself, perhaps a little wryly. Yes, what did you say exactly?

 

Forcing the thought from her mind, she went to the bathroom to take a shower. She was grateful her parents were ready to pay for a flat big enough for two bathrooms. This was just her place, a nice, girly bathroom with big, pink towels that were always soft and dry – unlike the lads’. She’d only looked inside their shared bathroom once and that had been quite enough for her. Men just were incapable of enjoying the finer things in life, like polished soap dispensers, for example.

 

It wasn’t until the warm water hit her back that she released the breath she’d been holding inside for too long. She couldn’t let get Zayn under her skin like that. Just because he was sick it didn’t mean he was some cute innoncent little puppy. Her brother was still the devil and she would still take Liam from him and if it was the last thing she ever did. Lifting her braid up to her nose, she took a quick sniff. She smelled like Zayn, she realised and she wasn’t sure if she should open her hair and wash it until nothing but shampoo scent remained or if she was supposed to just keep it that way.

 

In the end she just used some hairspray to hold it in a pony tail and got dressed. Today wasn’t the right day for short shorts so she slipped into a pencil skirt and a pretty blouse. The other English majors weren’t dressing like a member of the Royal Family, but she hadn’t worked so hard to look hot and adult to just go back to trackies and oversized jumpers. She did her make-up in front of the vanity, scowling a little at her face that seemed to be a mirror of Zayn’s. Her cheekbones were a little higher and more prominent than his, her jaw a little softer, but the wide eyes and rosy lips were the same. It was impossible to not think they were siblings. They’d always be a part of each other, no matter how hard they fought and how much they hated each other.

 

Forcing herself to stop thinking about her stupid brother, Veronica went into the kitchen to make some tea. The kettle was bubbling by the time Liam came into the kitchen, looking a little confused.

 

“Did you, like, sleep in Zayn’s room last night? You never came back out after you’d brought him the meds.“

 

“I just wanted to wait until he was asleep and then I got sleepy myself.“ Veronica laughed, proud of her ability to lie as quickly and smoothly as that. “Sorry, though. I didn’t mean to ditch you.“

 

“No worries, family’s more important than the telly.“ Liam smiled at her in that way that made a flock of butterflies break loose in her stomach and brush their tiny wings against her breastbone. That ticklish feeling spread through the rest of her body until she was basically writhing with it. Pressing her hips against the counter, she looked at Liam. He crossed the distance between them in two long strides and suddenly he was towering over her, only the space of a breath left between herself and his hard, muscular party.

 

“Please tell me I haven’t misinterpreted all of this and I’m making a fool of-“

 

“Shhh.“ She gently pressed a finger against his lips, feeling how plump they were. The thought of sucking his bottom lip between her teeth made warmth pool in her stomach and then his tongue brushed against her skin and she moaned. It sounded needy even to herself, but she didn’t care when Liam’s arms wound around her waist and he lifted her, lifted her like she weighed nothing at all, and placed her on top of the counter. Standing between her legs, he angled his head downwards and they were kissing. Liam’s lips slid against hers, warm and incredibly soft, and her knees fell apart, opening herself up to him just like that.

 

She trailed her fingers over his shoulders and down to his chest, feeling the muscles flex when he felt her touch. He wasn’t kissing like a nice boy. She’d expected a church sweet kiss from Liam, but this wasn’t it; his tongue slipped into her mouth, brushing against her own and retreating just as quickly. It felt like he was everywhere at the same time, his tongue in her mouth, his big hands roaming over her body, rubbing her arms and back. Arching her back, she offered her neck to him and he took the invitation without hesitating.

 

“Touch me,“ she moaned. “Come on, Liam, touch me.“

 

She spread her legs a little wider to show him just where to go and if she’d had any doubts about his passion for her before that, she lost them now. He pulled back, his eyes wide and dark, and he made this broken sounding noise at the back of his neck, like he couldn’t believe that he’d be allowed to touch her.

 

“A-are you sure?“ he murmured even as his hands slid down her sides until they were resting on her hips. “Zayn told me you’ve never had a boyfriend and-“

 

“Don’t think about my brother now, sugar. Things change and they’ve certainly changed for me.“ Leaning forward, she licked the shell of his ear with one long dirty sweep of her tongue. “Go and feel how wet I am for you, Liam.“

 

At that Liam lost all sense of decorum. His fingers biting into her hips, he pulled her closer, rocking himself against her. She could feel his cock through his trousers, pressing hard against the inner side of her thigh. His fingers tangled in her long hair as he dragged her in for another kiss and, yeah, she hadn’t expected this to happen at all. Liam had seemed like such a sweet boy, but apparently he turned into a beast in the bedroom. Placing his hands on her thighs, he spread her open even wider and there was a possessiveness in his every movement that made her breath hitch.

 

When he finally cupped her through her knickers, she whimpered at the touch and jerked her hips forward to meet his hand.

 

“You’re dripping for me, love,“ he murmured against her ear. “So wet for me…“

 

“Do something about it,“ she replied. “C’mon, babe, touch me.“

 

Liam wasn’t a tease; as soon as she’d finished, he slipped his hand into her knickers, his knuckles brushing against the slick folds of her pussy. Her hips snapped forward and Veronica reached up to rub her nipples through her blouse and bra. The friction wasn’t nearly enough, neither for her nipples nor her pussy, but this was the best she could do under the circumstances.

 

Liam gently circled her clit with one finger, watching her closely. “D’you like that or do you need it harder, baby?“

 

Veronica was very, very close to losing it when he called her that. She had a weakness for endearments and she was particularly fond of that one. “Fuck me, God, Liam. Fuck me.“

 

This time he was the one to shush her. “I will, sweetheart, I will. Just let me open you up for my big cock first, huh?“

 

Dirty talk. Definitely not what she had expected, but it was hotter than Hades and she wasn’t going to turn that down, no.

 

Still stroking her clit between two fingers, he brought up his other hand, letting the tip of a finger slip into the slick heat of her pussy. She felt her walls tighten around him, squeezing him and a fresh wave of slickness spilled out of her. If she’d ever been this wet before she certainly couldn’t remember it.

 

“Please…“

 

Liam finally took pity on her and let his finger slip in all the way down to his knuckles, spreading her open for him. “I wanna taste you,“ he whispered against her lips. “I wanna lick you until you come screaming my name.“

 

“Oh yes, sugar, please.“

 

“LIAM!“

 

Zayn. Of course he would have chosen this precise moment to wake up and ruin everything. Liam flinched, looking like he’d been stung by a bee and pulled his finger back so quickly it almost hurt. He hurriedly washed his hands over the kitchen sink before walking over to Zayn’s room.

 

“What’s up, mate? D’you need any help or something?“

 

“I wanna go to the bathroom and I’m so dizzy.“

 

Veronica’s eyes narrowed to slits when she heard Zayn’s voice. The bastard knew something was up or he would have never asked Liam for help with such a mundane taste. Hell, he wasn’t _that_ sick. Whatever pity she had felt for him the other night dissipated, replaced by cold rage. This wasn’t Zayn’s sick voice. He’d used that the other night when talking to her and this wasn’t it. This was something else entirely. He’d never brought any boys home so she didn’t know how he’d seduced him. She only really knew that he did pull them occasionally. Perhaps he was playing the damsel in distress or something like he was doing now. Well, two could play that game and she was cuter than Zayn. He’d lose.

 

Pulling her skirt back down, she stomped off to her room to get changed. Zayn had won this particular battle, she had to admit that, but that didn’t mean he’d win the war.

 


	2. Chapter 2

“Okay, slow and easy.“ Liam’s arms were under Zayn’s armpits, holding him up so he could walk back towards his room. It wasn’t quite as romantic as he’d expected (bridal style would have been preferred), but at least Zayn had separated Liam from his sister. Zayn had no idea why, but he’d woken up feeling that something was going on between them. He’d never believed in that whole twin bond thing, but sometimes he could feel it when Veronica was extremely sad or hurt. And apparently he was now also linked to her when she was making out. Which was a disconcerting thought he had no intention of ever examining more closely.

He was content with his handiwork, though. Liam was gently escorting him back to his bed, making sure he was tucked in properly and had his sketch book and copic markers.

“Call me if you need anything, okay?“ Liam didn’t quite meet his eyes although he’d been helpful and sweet enough. Something was definitely going on here and Zayn wanted to know what the hell it was. Had they… done anything together?

“Sure, man. Enjoy your snakes.“

As soon as Liam was gone Zayn grabbed his laptop and went through Veronica’s Facebook updates. He hadn’t really looked at her profile in forever and she didn’t automatically appear in his newsfeed. He’d only really listed her as a relative so girls could see he was a big brother. Plus, the whole twin thing made him look even more interesting and mysterious.

He went back as far as his departure from England. She’d listed their father’s company as her new workplace and had, quite humbly, named herself an intern. Zayn would probably have listed himself as assistant-CEO or something, but Veronica clearly wasn’t smart enough to brag a little. Her updates back then had been mostly work-related. Then she became friends with this Harry Styles bloke and from then on everything changed. Instead of smiling shyly at the camera in photos, she blew kisses with her lipstick-red mouth pursed into a tiny ’o’ and her heels were getting ever higher. There were even party photos where she was grinding her hips against a blond boy who looked like he’d sneak out of his last lay’s flat without even saying so much as ’see you again… never’.

Zayn’s fingers tightened on the side of the laptop as he clicked through her photo albums, the pictures blurring by. The blond boy turned up more than once, in fact, he seemed to be in almost every picture until the end of June. Had he been her boyfriend? She hadn’t listed him as a relationship, though, and he hadn’t been tagged in any of the photos. Who the hell was that blond? His face looked douche-y. Well, it didn’t. He looked nice, but so did Zayn and he knew what kind of guy he was himself.

He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to feel protective or try and hunt down the blond douche and make invite him over to make sure Liam had a rival. The thing about Liam was, he was competitive, but he was also a bit of a romantic and if there was serious opposition he probably wouldn’t want to go through with this… whatever the hell he and Veronica were doing together. Well, it couldn’t hurt to drag old skeletons out of the basement and make her life a living hell.

He clicked on Harry Styles’ profile, finding that most of it was public. Apparently he was some kind of socialite who knew everyone and their mother. If anyone, Harry Styles would know who the douche-face was.

One fake profile and enquiry later he had a name: Niall Horan.

“You will be of great help to me, my Irish friend,“ Zayn murmured as he pulled up Twitter.

 

I’m having an awful day and want to slap a bitch. Can you come down to the studio after class? x

Louis’ text came in the middle of a particularly boring class about medieval English and Veronica decided to skip the rest of it and just go on down to the studio. She didn’t even stop to examine that particular impulse. She’d never been the sort of girl to skip a class. She’d gone even when she’d had a fever, even when she’d had a broken wrist. Skipping class was just as unthinkable as committing murder.

Still, she slipped out of the room and hurried down the hallway and out of the building to find a cab. The wind was starting to get cold towards the end of October and Veronica had to draw her coat more tightly against his body. To think that she could still enjoy the sweetness of post-coital bliss in Liam Payne’s strong arms… and all ruined because of her idiotic brother. She would really need to step up her game if she wanted to win this race. Zayn was starting to play dirty.

With a sigh she settled into the back seat of a taxi and gave the driver directions to Louis’ station and leaned her head against the cool, worn leather of the headrest. She deserved a little break right now.

Her day had been absolutely horrible so far and a little bitching with Louis would probably improve her mood. Besides, Louis was hilarious when he was angry and she was looking forward to a couple of prank calls to Nick Grimshaw. Nick had had to change his number a couple of times over the last year, but Louis always ended up getting it back. Veronica suspected that Louis had found a way to hack Harry’s mobile phone to get the number from him. Despite Nick’s and Louis’ rivalry, Harry still remained friends with Grimmy. No one ever mentioned it out loud, but Harry’s Instagram account was proof enough.

Veronica was no stranger at the station and the lady at the entrance desk waved her right through. Louis had introduced Veronica as a budding model and actress when she’d first come here and while it had been meant to be a joke the lady seemed to have swallowed the lie, she kept trying to discreetly take pictures of Veronica with her phone.

Louis was out in the hallway in front of his studio, pacing back and forth and hissing something into his phone. When he saw Veronica he hung up and turned towards her.

“He said that if they ever made a Chipmunk version of my voice they wouldn’t have to edit it at all. He said that on national radio.“ Louis glared at her like she was somehow responsible for Nick Grimshaw’s actions. “But I’ll get him back for that. Oh yes, I’ll get him back. I might have come upon compromising pictures of his.“

Veronica didn’t even want to think about what sort of photos Louis could have gotten his hands on. Nick Grimshaw had appeared in dresses, ridiculous shorts and Bavarian lederhosen. How could it get any worse than that?

“Whatever you have on him, I don’t think you should use it,“ she said, crossing her arms over her chest. “I mean, he’s one of Harry’s good friends, isn’t he? How would you feel if Harry started scheming against one of your friends?“

“He wouldn’t do that,“ Louis replied immediately.

Veronica had to admit that he was probably right. Malice was as far from Harry Styles’ mind as the Earth was from the moon. Still, she had a responsibility here. She couldn’t let things get out of hand. “But what if. Wouldn’t you kind of resent your boyfriend for doing that?“

“He keeps telling Harry I’m not good enough for him! I wasn’t the one who started this. If he’s gonna fuck up my relationship, then I’m gonna fuck up his.“

“You aren’t good enough for Harry, though; no one is.“

Louis sighed and raked through his hair, pulling it up in ridiculous angles that, oddly enough, remained that way. He should have a quiff instead of Grimmy, Veronica thought.

“I just don’t think it’s fair. So maybe his show has more listeners than mine, but does that give him the right to treat me like that?“

“It’s not like you aren’t responding to it. If you just stopped talking back to him then he’d lose interest and leave you alone. But you don’t even want that, do you? You want him to be an arse so you can hate him for getting along with Harry.“

Louis’ eyebrows drew together, a warning of distant thunder on his face, and he shook his head. “C’mon, let’s go and sit down.“

He led her to the break room where magazines were growing damp in the sticky rings from dozens of tea cups. Louis flopped down on a worn-looking couch at the side of the room, his head thumping against the headrest.

“Maybe you’re right. It bothers me that he and Harry get along. But how would you feel if the lad you love got along with your brother?“

Veronica gulped audibly as she sat down beside him, folding her legs under herself. “I think I have exactly that situation going on, to be honest. But with Liam it doesn’t bother me because he’s a real sweetheart and I just can’t see him disliking anyone, not even my idiot brother. So…“ She shrugged eloquently, hoping that Louis will understand.

She wasn’t even sure when she she’d fallen in love with Liam Payne and his ridiculously big hands, but here she was. Blushing a little at the memory of Liam’s hands under her skirt, she looked away.

“You did the do!“ Louis crowed mercilessly. “You’re looking sorta guilty and dazed. You did do something. But not all of it, right? You didn’t co-“

“Zayn’s sick and he decided to play the damsel in distress just when we were about to get things done,“ Veronica offered crossly. “I need to find a way to separate Liam from the… pack, so to speak.“

Veronica was reasonably sure that this time it wasn’t a trick of the light and Louis really did look like the devil when he turned towards her, tilting his head to the side so she had a better look at his smirk. “I think we can arrange something,“ he promised.

 

Liam was carefully parting tree branches in the snake habitat, looking for a Ruby-Red Mandrake dangling from somewhere above him. His chosen species of snake could live on the ground as well as in trees, occasionally hanging down to hiss in passersby’s ears like the biblical snake in Garden Eden.

Liam’s mind wasn’t completely on the job, which was dangerous, he knew. Normally he wouldn’t have attempted to brave the snake habitat without his full wits about him, but he desperately needed the distraction from what had occurred between himself and Veronica Malik this morning. When he remembered the wet heat between her legs, a shudder skittered over his spine, nearly making him run face-first into a tree. She’d felt exquisite under his hands, like a work of art only he got to enjoy, and he’d feverishly wished he could, well, finish what he’d begun. It wasn’t so much that he wanted to get off himself (although he certainly wouldn’t have complained about it), he just really wanted to give her pleasure. Her hips tilted so beautifully when she liked something.

Sinking his teeth into his bottom lip, Liam forced himself to drag his mind from between Veronica’s thighs and back into the present. The night watchman had reported that there had been excited hissing in the habitat, which could mean one of two things: the Ruby-Red had decided mating season had come early this year or there had been a fight between two snakes.

Liam hoped it was the former. In all his time at the snake farm in Australia he’d never gotten to raise his very own Ruby-Red and he would have loved to study them from cradle to grave, so to speak.

If Liam hadn’t been so focused on the task at hand, if he had come across this path only a minute ago, he would have missed the red tail dangling from the foliage. Liam liked to think that the Ruby-Red was not a very violent species, but occasionally they attacked by dropping on whoever crossed the way under them and sinking their poisonous fangs into their skin. Liam grabbed the snake by the tail and pulled it out of the tree. Hissing it turned towards him, but he clamped his fingers around its mouth, keeping it shut.

“Excuse me for this indignity, sir or ma’am,“ he told the snake as he turned it around to check for its gender.

The snake turned out to be a frustrating disappointment, just like the rest of the day had been. It was a young male who would certainly not give Liam a mini snake of his very own. He carefully released the snake into the bushes and it slithered away in a huff.

Liam ran his hands through his hair, pulling a little harder than necessary perhaps. The thing was, Veronica was not only a hot girl he wanted to pull, she was also his best mate’s sister. He wasn’t sure how this whole friendship with Zayn had even happened. Zayn had been one of those idiots who very clearly couldn’t read the snake habitat sign and had stumbled right into one of its inhabitants. Liam had had to stick his hand down Zayn’s trousers in order to get the snake out and… well, perhaps his hand had touched something it normally wouldn’t have.

There’d been a spark when his fingers had brushed against the surprisingly soft flesh of Zayn’s cock, feeling the hint of hardness just beneath and there had been something roiling in his own stomach at that feeling. Perhaps it was just the adrenaline from easing the snake past the waistband of Zayn’s boxer shorts that had kicked in and made such a mess of Liam’s brain and emotions, but whatever it was, he’d wanted it. He’d wanted that nameless, exciting thing that had made his insides tingle.

After that they’d become mates and when Liam had been invited to the London zoo and Zayn had offered to let him stay at his place Liam hadn’t turned down that offer. Normally he didn’t enjoy charity, but it hadn’t felt that way with Zayn at all. It had felt like an invitation to something that remained unspoken and whatever it was he wanted it.

 

When Liam came home that night Veronica was wearing very high heels again and a white dress tight enough to leave nothing to the imagination. Her long hair had been gathered at a knot on top of her head, leaving her delicate collar bones and the smooth column of her neck free to the eye… and the touch.

“My friends have a party tonight,“ she explained, fastening a small pearl earring to the velvet lobe of her ear. “I told them you’d come too.“

“Uh, I haven’t even eaten yet,“ Liam said lamely. “And shouldn’t someone stay home with Zayn?“

“He went out himself so that shouldn’t be much of a problem,“ Veronica answered with a smile. “I’d really love for you to come with me, Liam. Can you do that for me?“

Liam knew that he should have turned down the invitation and just gone to bed. He couldn’t come with her if he didn’t want to continue where they had left off and he wasn’t sure if he wanted that. Well, hell, of course he wanted to do that. He was utterly unable to think of anything but Veronica’s lithe body writhing against his own, sinking his tongue and fingers and cock into her velvety heat and taking her until they were both screaming each other’s names. But he really, really shouldn’t.

“Well, okay. Let me get dressed, though.“

When Liam went into his bedroom he had a brief vision of Veronica on the sheets, her long smooth legs falling apart at the knees, letting him see what he’d only felt so far. In this vision she was completely naked, her back arching for him so her small breasts pushed upwards and into his waiting mouth…

Banning the thought from his mind with immense difficulty, Liam went to the closet and chose a t-shirt to wear with his trousers. He wanted it to look nice, but not like he was trying to make an effort here. He chose a fairly tight black one. Liam had started working out at the tender age of fifteen and he took pride in his appearance. It was a studied pride, though, unlike the natural grace with which Zayn carried himself. When Zayn entered a room he did so on the understanding that he was the most handsome man in it and somehow everyone else seemed to believe that, too.

Liam couldn’t think about Zayn right now, though – not if he wanted to go through with this. He refreshed his deodorant before pulling the shirt over his head. He gave himself a critical look in the mirror, but there was nothing to be done; he looked as good as he ever would.

Once he was satisfied with his appearance he walked back out into the living area where Veronica was walking up and down the length of the room, her heels clicking softly on the floor. The dress allowed him a spectacular view of her narrow back, the pearls of her spine. He wanted to trace them with his finger and follow them where they vanished under the white of her dress. But not right now.

Offering his arm to her, he smiled. “May I have the honour of accompanying you to your carriage, ma’am?“ he asked playfully and Veronica giggled.

It was such a cute girly sound that Liam wanted to catch it in a bottle and bring it out whenever he needed to be cheered up.

“Or, you know, you could just record it and put it on a CD,“ he heard Zayn’s ironic voice in his head. It was the same voice Zayn had used when Liam had referred to Santa as the little Christmas man once.

Shaking off the thought, he led Veronica out of the flat and down the hallway to the elevator. The fancy lamps that were installed on the walls washed everything in a buttery-yellow light, softening Veronica’s features. She was different from Zayn, Liam thought. It wasn’t by much, but some of his harsher, more chiselled lines were soft in her and her eyes were just a little bigger, her mouth a little softer. The similarities were great enough to confuse him, though. Was she the twin he really wanted or what the hell was going on in his brain?

“Who is that friend of yours?“ he asked, both to interrupt the silence and to soothe his own raw nerves.

“Have you ever heard of Louis Tomlinson, the radio DJ? His boyfriend’s the host.“

Liam had heard of The Tommo, of course, who hadn’t? But hearing about famous people and actually meeting them were quite different from one another. He suddenly wondered if perhaps he shouldn’t have given more thought to his outfit after all.

“How do you know him?“ he asked instead, hoping he didn’t sound as scared as he was.

“Well, my father’s company has this charity dinner once a year and I was seated next to Harry, Louis’ boyfriend, and well… we got along really well. But everyone loves Harry and he loves everyone back. It’ll be fine.“

He felt her fingers squeeze his arm lightly, like she understood how he was feeling. Liam tried to think back on all the things Zayn had told him about his sister. She hadn’t been the most popular girl in school, from what he recalled, and maybe, just maybe she understood what he was going through. Meeting new people when you weren’t fully confident in yourself could be a terrifying thing.

“Yeah, it will,“ he replied after a moment.

When the elevator finally arrived on their floor and the doors opened Liam caught a brief glimpse of the two of them together. Veronica’s dark head barely reached to his shoulder, even in her heels, but her body was gravitating towards him, melting into his side like it was made to be there with him. He let her arm slip from his and hugged her against his side instead. She smelled of oranges and beauty and he forced Zayn from his mind. This was the twin he wanted.

 

Harry’s Primrose Hill flat was cozy under normal circumstances, but the soft carpets and sitting cushions had been cleared off the floors, replaced by long tables with dainty cakes and shrimp cocktails. For some reason Louis had got it into his head to have ice sculptures arranged on the long tables, their eyes dripping melted water like tears. Veronica was standing next to one of those sculptures, trying to figure out who it was meant to be. The features reminded her suspiciously of a monkey and she could only guess what its hair style might have been, but it seemed oddly familiar.

Without looking, she reached out and grabbed Louis by the wrist as he passed by. “Please tell me that not all of these sculptures are Grimmy.“

Louis smiled at her in so sunny a manner that she shuddered. She was suddenly glad that Louis was her friend and not a mortal enemy.

“How the hell did you get Harry to agree to this?“

“Harry doesn’t see the monkey in Nick Grimshaw, not the way I do,“ Louis replied with a malicious twinkle in his eyes. “Besides, he’s running late. He’s picking up our special guest.“

That’s when Veronica realised what Louis was doing. He’d invited Nick Grimshaw here for only one reason: to humiliate him and assert his position. Sometimes boys were no better than dogs, she thought, fighting over a bone until someone got hurt and ran home howling.

“For the record I’d like to say that this is a stupid idea and you shouldn’t be doing it. If you invite him to your house as a guest then you just… you shouldn’t do that kind of thing to him.“

“What? You’re acting like I’m staging the Red Wedding. Which, for the record, would be an excellent idea. I’ll file that away for future reference.“

If Louis hadn’t been one of her best friends she would have emptied her champagne flute in his face and went home. But as things were, she still needed him and his assistance. Harry’s sprawling apartment had many empty rooms and Louis had promised to make sure there would be one for her use. Looking over the heads of the party guests, she tried to pick out Liam. He’d gone to the bathroom a couple of minutes ago, but she wasn’t sure she was going to find him again. The heat emanating from the bodies packed into the living area of Harry’s apartment was making sweat pearl on her forehead and she suddenly had the crazy idea of pressing herself against one of the ugly Grimmy sculptures for some relief.

“So, have you arranged everything?“ she asked Louis, wanting to change the subject.

There really was no point in arguing with Louis once he had decided on a course of action and it wasn’t her party or home. She couldn’t lay down the rules here no matter how much she disapproved of what he was about to do.

“I have done my best to provide you with an adequate love nest for you and your Aussie. Where’s he hiding anyway? I want to meet him.“ Louis licked his bottom lip suggestively and, rolling her eyes, Veronica swatted his arm.

“Back off, the boy’s mine.“

“I love your pop culture references, my dear. I really do approve of them very much. Anyway, you see that door over there? You just lock it from behind and follow the hallway to the very end. There’s only one room there. Do what you have to do and try not to get anything on the carpet. Harry had that renewed recently.“

With a brief look around them, Louis slipped the key to the hallway door into Veronica’s hand and turned away. “I need to go. If you don’t wanna be here when Grimmy walks into the lion’s den then I suggest you find your boy toy and run.“

Veronica objected to calling Liam a boy toy, but decided not to argue Louis on so small a point of etiquette. At that moment Liam appeared by her side, looking a little worse fort he wear.

“A person with orange hair cornered me by the table with the monkey sculpture and… I’m not sure if it was a man or a woman,“ he said unhappily.

Throwing back his head, Louis laughed and Veronica could suddenly understand why so many men fell for him. He really was adorable like this, his laughter infectious. She loved this Louis best of all. Of course the Louis who had provided her with a room to have sex in wasn’t too bad either, but this friendly, open person was the best of all.

“That must’ve been the Honourable Amy. She’s a member of the Royal Family, very distantly related, however. I’m Louis Tomlinson, nice to meet you, Liam. Veronica has told me all about you, of course.“

Liam blushed delicately, but at this point Veronica knew what signs to look out for and she saw the subtle change of colour in his cheeks. “I hope she didn’t say anything, um, bad.“

“Oh no, we’re all friends here. Friends don’t bitch about each other behind their backs; they do it where you can hear it. Say Liam, do you like the BBC Radio1 Breakfast Show?“

Veronica silently willed Liam to say that he didn’t. She really didn’t need this party to turn into a fully blown war. But Liam seemed to understand more about pop culture than she had given him credit for because he hastily shook his head no. Something about the earnest way in which he looked at Louis made warmth spread from her chest like a blanket until it covered her from head to toe. Everything would be all right in the end as long as Liam kept being so sweet, she was sure of it.

“Grimmy says a lot of stuff that I don’t find very funny. And he’s a bit demeaning to women sometimes. I don’t like that,“ Liam said.

“Good man,“ Louis replied with a happy smile. “Very good man. Oh, I just saw a friend over there. I think I-“

If Louis had meant to give Veronica an opening to take Liam away to the room then he had outsmarted himself because at that moment the door opened and Harry and Nick Grimshaw entered the room. As always everyone in the room seemed to be gravitating towards Harry. Smiling, he waved at the crowd and Veronica raised her hand in a silent greeting as well. She almost felt like the Judas here, the one friend who knew what he was going into and who did nothing to stop it. But what could she have done anyway? It wasn’t like she could just scrape the faces off all the Grimmy sculptures and pretend they had been normal humans, right?

“What a pleasant surprise,“ Louis said, walking up to Nick. His hips were swaying like he was completely relaxed, like he wasn’t letting his boyfriend’s best mate run into a trap. Liam seemed to feel Veronica’s tension because he reached for her hand, lightly squeezing her fingers and she felt a rush of gratitude. Turning towards him, she took his hand and led him to the door Louis had shown her earlier. She wouldn’t stick around for Nick Grimshaw’s humiliation.

 

Liam felt a heavy weight settle on his chest when the key turned in the lock with an audible clicking sound and they were momentarily left in darkness. From the other side he could hear voices, but they seemed to him like the distant rumble of thunder. In the close darkness all that mattered and all he could feel was Veronica’s presence, warm and intoxicating beside him. Their hands were still entwined like lovers and for a moment he wished he could leave it at that. Normally he would have taken a lot more time to court a girl before doing that sort of thing with her. It was just that it felt like he already knew her. He was aware of the fact that twins didn’t appreciate being compared to one another and the comparison could hardly be flattering for Veronica in that situation, but it felt like the bond he had formed with her brother extended to her as well, binding them all together in a complicated tangle.

“I want to sleep with you,“ she said softly and Liam realised for the first time how dark her voice could sound for a girl.

“I know,“ he replied after a moment. “So do I. With, um, you, I mean.“

The soft sound of her laughter seemed to penetrate the near darkness like tiny shafts of light and Liam made a note to keep doing things to elicit that heavenly sound from her. Taking him by the hand, she led him to the end of the hallway and another door. Veronica fumbled with the door knob for a moment and she giggled again. This time Liam laughed as well because the entire situation was kind of ridiculous and weird. Had she seriously taken him to the home of some radio DJ just so they could have sex? Oh and they were going to have sex at someone else’s home. That was new for him as well. Liam was the kind of guy who liked bed sex. Vanilla, bed sex with girls who looked like his best mate.

When Veronica found the knob at last, she let them in. The light inside the room wasn’t much brighter than in the hallway, but enough so he could see her face, could see the mischievous twinkle in her eyes. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her flush against his body. He could see hectic red spots on the tops of her cheekbones, but that was the only sign of nervousness. When she wrapped her arms around his neck she kissed him, deep and filthy. He could feel her tongue licking into his mouth, exploring him ruthlessly. That such a sweet mouth could be so dirty, he thought, fisting his hands in her hair and pulling her even closer. She made a beautiful noise of surprise and laughed against his mouth. He could feel her nipples jutting through the layers of both their clothes; hard little pebbles straining against him, begging to be licked and sucked and covered in bruises the shape of his own mouth.

Circling her waist with his arms, he lifted her up against the door. The sound of her back colliding with the wood was harder than he’d intended and for a moment he waited her to complain, but she simply hitched her legs up and around his hips, pulling him closer. Which meant there was something he just had to ask…

“How do you like it?“ Liam asked, trailing soft kisses from the juncture of shoulder and neck up to her mouth. “D’you want me to take charge of you, love? To take care of you?“

He felt the shudder rippling through her body and for the first time he became aware of the heat where she was rubbing against the front of his jeans.

“Take charge,“ she whispered into the darkness of the room. “I want you to fuck me like the filthiest slut you’v ever fucked, Liam Payne.“

Liam was getting hard, painfully hard and he wanted to fuck her so badly. He wanted to plunge into the sweet warmth under Veronica’s skirt and never come back out. But first he wanted to make her come screaming his name.

“Well then, let’s get started,“ was all he said as he kissed her again, slipping his tongue into her mouth. He shifted her a little so his fingers were on the soft swell of her arse, digging into the supple flesh. She was a slender girl, but she had curves in all the right places. It was another thing that was different from Zayn, he thought. Zayn was just skinny up and down. And then he forgot all about Zayn when she rolled her hips against his and made this needy, almost keening sound at the back of her throat.

“You need it, don’t you?“ he whispered against her ear, gently grazing the shell with his teeth. “You need it so badly you’re begging for it, my beautiful little slut, hm?“

“Yeah, sugar, I need it. I need your big cock filling me up so good.“ Liam wasn’t sure if she was just making fun of him now and he didn’t really care. His cock was straining against the zip of his jeans, chafing against the metal. It hurt, but it was a way to keep him grounded and make sure this encounter wouldn’t end too quickly. He felt like he’d been waiting for it for ages until he was as tense as a spring and could go off at the least encouragement.

“I’ll give you my cock,“ Liam promised. “I’ll give you everything.“

Holding her up with one hand, he searched for the light switch on the wall. The lamp overhead sprang to life and he could see her a little better although the light was rosy and soft, like this room was meant for just this, for enjoying each other.

Turning around, he placed her on the bed, watching in awe as her legs fell open. He’d never been with a girl who so confident in herself. Whatever Zayn had known and told Liam about his sister, it wasn’t true any longer. Travelling the smooth expanse of her legs with his eyes, he pressed the heel of his hand against his cock, focusing on the pain of metal connecting with flesh. This was almost too much.

Veronica’s legs were slim, but well-curved, the gentle incline at the back of her knees and at her ankles inviting him to explore her skin with his mouth. She lifted her head slightly to look up at him, dark lashes throwing long shadows over her cheek bones.

“C’mere, Liam.“

Her voice seemed to caress his name and he followed her, drawn forward by the invisible shackles she’d placed on him at some point. Kneeling between her legs, he kissed her again, a long, lingering kiss that he hoped would let her know that he wasn’t just in this for a fuck. He cupped the side of her face with his hand, his thumb rubbing soothing circles into her flushed skin.

“So beautiful,“ he whispered. “And just mine, just mine.“

Her hips jerked upwards and she whined, just a little. “Yes, yours. Now get on with it.“

“Don’t spoil my mood,“ he admonished gently. “But I guess we could take off your dress now. Sit up, doll.“

Reaching behind her, he pulled down the zipper of her dress, feeling the fabric come apart in his hands and revealing the smooth skin underneath, the pearls of her spine which he had wanted to touch so badly before. But he was quickly distracted by her breasts bouncing through of the restrictions of her dress and it was his turn to moan when he saw them resting against her chest. They weren’t very big, but beautifully formed, with hard nipples the colour of milky-tea.

Forcing himself not to suck them into his mouth right then and there, he rolled on top of her, pinning her delicate wrists over her head with one of his.

“Are you sure?“ he murmured against her ear instead. “Do you really want me?“

“Babe, we wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want you,“ she replied. “Just… please, Liam. Touch me.“

It felt just like in the kitchen, right before she’d allowed him to finger her. There was this pressure building between them and it needed to break or he’d go insane. Inclining his head, he kissed her lips and chin and collar bones. He felt the prick of gooseflesh where ever his mouth touched her skin and she moaned beautifully for him. He lifted her breasts in his hands, feeling the pleasantly warm weight of them in his palms.

“So beautiful,“ he whispered. “You’re so beautiful, Veronica.“

It seemed to have been exactly what she needed to hear because her back arched, pushing her breasts up and into his hands. Her nipples were so hard already, so beautiful in his hand. He flicked his tongue over one of them, feeling it pebble into full hardness against his lips. With his free hand he rubbed the other one, rolling the nipple between two fingers, even as his lips clamped down on her, sucking greedily. Her hips jerked up against his again and this time he was sure that he wasn’t just feeling the hint of warmth, but slickness with it.

Forcing himself to let go of one of her tits, he let his hand wander over her belly, feeling the sharp dip of muscle when she inhaled too quickly. She hadn’t worn a bra, but panties. He suddenly wished she hadn’t because he needed to feel her like he needed to breathe. Struggling with the waistband of her knickers, he gave a frustrated groan.

“Can you lift your hips for me, beautiful?“ he asked against the soft flesh of her breast. “I need to get this off real quickly.“

She rolled her hips upwards, rubbing herself against the underside of his arm, leaving a bright-hot trace of warm desire behind. Liam wasted no more time and jerked the silken knickers off her hips and down her legs, tearing the sides a little in his haste. No matter. Nothing mattered but Veronica’s pussy, to smell and taste her.

“I wanna go down on you,“ he whispered, still kneeling between her legs. “I wanna taste you, baby, can I?“

The expression in her dark eyes made shivers skitter down his spine and she nodded.

He hitched up her legs and draped them over his shoulders. He could already smell her, the heady mix of musk and sweetness. It was different on every girl, but he didn’t recall ever having loved someone’s smell as much as this. Leaning forward, he nuzzled into the smooth juncture of her legs, burying his face in the folds of her pussy. She was wet for him, dripping. He looked up at her in wonder.

“How long have you been like this?“ he breathed against her, making her twitch with the shift in temperature.

“All day,“ she replied. “Ever since you fingered me on the kitchen counter.“

Liam all but whimpered at the thought of her being soaked all day, just for him. Just for him and his cock.

“I’ll make it so good, love. I promise I’ll make it so good,“ he whispered and sucked a bruising kiss into the inner side of her thigh, making another shiver run through her body as she jerked up to meet his mouth.

Grabbing her thighs, he spread her legs a little wider and buried his face in her pussy. At first he kept his tongue soft and relax, licking her in slow, soft strokes. He could feel more of the slick-wet pearl on his tongue as she started writhing under him, whimpering softly. She rolled her hips against him so sweetly, needing him so much, and Liam couldn’t resist this silent begging. Wrapping his lips around her clit, he gently sucked it between his teeth while his tongue teased the hood. He could feel the muscles in her thighs tense and quiver under his fingers and he gave her a soothing lick, soft and gentle.

“Liam, fuck… fuck, Liam.“

He’d had more eloquent conversations than this with her and he felt pride swell in his chest. He’d made her like this, he’d robbed her of speech and he was making her pussy drip like this.

At that moment someone knocked on the door. “V-veronica?“


	3. Chapter 3

When Veronica heard Harry’s voice she quickly shoved Liam away and closed her legs, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks. Fuck. This was just too damn awkward to even think about. Hadn’t Louis told Harry what she was going to do here?

“I, um, don’t mean to be a nuisance, but I kinda… it’d be nice to talk to someone and stuff.“

“Sure, love,“ she replied, jumping to her feet and starting to pull her clothes back on. “Just give me one second and I’ll be there, promise.“

Veronica had a pretty good idea why Harry needed to talk to her. It was just unfortunate that it had to happen at this time. Damn Louis and his idiotic schemes. She’d told him not to do it, but of course he hadn’t bothered to heed her warning. Now things were heating up and she would have to try and solve this tangle for them. She had no problem with this, but why did it have to be right now? Liam was a bloody God with that mouth of his.

“I’m really sorry,“ she said over her shoulder.

Liam was still kneeling on the bed, looking up at her like a kicked puppy.

“It’s just… you know, he needs me. He’s my best friend. I can’t just leave him to deal with this by himself.“

“What happened?“ Liam asked. “Is there any way I could help perhaps?“

“Not unless you can make his boyfriend stop behaving like a complete twat. Those monkey sculptures? They were supposed to be in the likeness of Grimmy and I’m pretty sure that most of the party guests weren’t friends of Grimmy, so…“

“But why would you invite someone to a party if you don’t like them?“ Liam asked, his face crunched up in confusion and Veronica felt a rush of affection for him. She quickly leaned in to kiss his cheeck, feeling the warmth of him against her lips.

“Because not everyone’s as sweet as you, I’m afraid. I’m really sorry about this. We’ll continue soon.“

Pulling up her knickers, she went to open the door. Harry wasn’t on the other side anymore and so she walked back out into the living area. The guests had all left and all that remained were the dripping ice sculptures and cigarette smoke curling high in the air.

Harry was sitting on the couch, his legs drawn up to his chest, his forehead resting on top of his knees. Veronica sat down beside him, not quite touching him. Some wounds didn’t want contact.

“I just don’t understand why he did this,“ Harry said at last, his voice hoarse like he was trying not to cry. “I think he should know by now that there’s nothing between Nick and me and there never will be. We’re just friends. Really good friends. And Louis… he just doesn’t get it.“

Veronica didn’t understand it either. If Louis really loved Harry half as much as he claimed he did he would have never wanted to be responsible for the broken way he was speaking, how he looked so completely and utterly defeated and hopeless.

“I don’t think he’s doubting you. He just… he likes playing games and he took this one too far.“

“Nick doesn’t even mean it when he says things about Louis on the radio. It’s… it’s just joking, you know? But Louis is convinced that they’re in this intense battle for listeners. Louis is winning and it doesn’t matter ot him at all. He won’t ever be happy until I stop being friends with Nick.“

Veronica sighed as she pulled up her feet under her. She’d left her shoes with Liam and her feet were suddenly feeling like ice.

“I don’t think he’ll ever stop doing this until you’ve told Nick to go to hell. I think that’s what he wants. And then… I don’t know. Maybe it’ll stop then.“

Harry looked up at that, his eyes red-rimmed and shimmering. “I’m not gonna do that. He can’t seriously want me to give up my friends just so he’ll get his way. He can’t seriously think or expect that I’d do that for anyone. That’s not a relationship, that’d be a prison.“

Veronica suddenly wished she hadn’t come to the party at all, Zayn and his cockblocking be damned. If she hadn’t come here tonight she wouldn’t have to bet he one to tell Harry the obvious solution to his problem.

“He won’t ever stop doing it. The only way to get him to quit is to break up with him,“ she said softly.

All warmth seemed to have fled the cozy flat along with Louis and the guests and she was shivering against Harry. He held up one of his arms and she curled against his side. She could hear his breath puffing out of his mouth in small, staccato sounds.

“I don’t want to break up with him, but if he keeps doing things like this, I will. I don’t… I don’t even know how to look Nick in the eye anymore. It was an ambush and I was leading him right into it. Louis even invited all of his exes. It was awful and it wasn’t just hurting Nick! It was hurting me and Louis didn’t even seem to care. He was so damn smug about it, like bloody Dr Evil or something.“

Veronica could imagine that Louis would have been very pleased about this comparison, but she didn’t say it out loud. Resting her head against Harry’s chest, she took his hand.

“Whatever you do or don’t do, I’ll be here, okay? I’ll help you every step of the way.“

Harry leaned down to kiss the top of her head. “Thank you, love. I knew you were a good person the moment I saw you. You wouldn’t do that kind of thing to someone you love.“

Veronica flinched. “But I am,“ she whispered. “I am hurting people I love. I mean, I can judge Louis, but in the end I’m no better than he is. I took Zayn’s friend here to fuck him. To hurt Zayn and… Liam is so damn nice. He’ll end up getting hurt too and I don’t know how ti quit this anymore.“

Harry didn’t reply as he rocked her back and forth, a warm, soothing presence at her side, and Veronica vowed to be better in the future. She’d explain everything to Liam and hope that she hadn’t damaged everything beyond repair.

“I’m just… why do you hate each other so much?“ Harry asked. “Gemma and me fought sometimes, but then we were also so close that we would’ve helped each other hide a body. Did… did something happen between you two? A bad fight?“

Veronica shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut so hard she could feel tears prick at her eye lids. She had a brief vision of Zayn’s face, crumpled as if he was in great pain. She willed the image away. She was definitely not going to think about The Thing tonight of all nights.

“It’s nothing. He’s just a twat.“

There was nothing particularly funny about the statement, but suddenly the two of them were laughing and they couldn’t seem to stop even when Veronica’s sides hurt and she couldn’t breathe.

 

6.

Veronica had lied to Liam: Zayn hadn’t gone out to party. He’d been asleep in his room, sleeping off the effects of his cold. He woke up at around midnight, feeling a little better. He could breathe through his nose without feeling like he was going to choke and the polka-dancing leprechauns had gone back to Ireland. Speaking of Ireland, so far he’d been unable to reach this Niall Horan and find out how he was connected to Veronica exactly. There was nothing to be done about this right now, but he could use this evening to get further ahead with his plan of seducing Liam Payne.

Veronica had mentioned something about a party this afternoon, shortly before Zayn had passed out with fever. She’d hopefully be out long enough for him to make some progress.

“Liam!“ he called, hoping to sound pitiful enough for Liam to come and cuddle him in bed.

No reply. Frowning, Zayn sat up. How could Liam not come running when he so clearly needed him? He found that sitting wasn’t quite as dizzying as it had been earlier in the day so he experimentally swung his legs over the side of the bed. That, too, worked better than he’d thought. He padded over to the door and peered out into the hallway. The living room was dark and quiet.

Liam wasn’t home.

That bitch Veronica had taken him to that party probably. She was getting good at this game they were playing, he had to give her that, but Zayn had been playing this game for far longer than her and he knew what he had to do.

He sat on the couch, switched on the telly and waited. They had to come back sooner or later and then he’d make Liam take care of him. Liam had a thing for saving a damsel in distress and he was prepared to play that role for as long as he needed to in order to get what he wanted. Smiling grimly, he settled back into the pillows.

As it turned out he didn’t have to wait very long. About ten minutes after Zayn had emerged from his room the door opened and Liam switched on the light.

“Where were you?“ Zayn sniffed. “I’m poorly. Someone should stay here and take care of me.“

“Veronica said you’d gone out. I didn’t… I’m sorry, Zayn. What do you need? D’you need me to run down to the pharmacy and get you something? Or would you like a tea?“

“No, that’s all right. Just come here and warm me up.“

Zayn raised an eyebrow at Liam, almost in challenge, but of course such subtlety was lost on Liam. He obediently came over to the couch and wrapped Zayn into his arms.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here to take care of you, Zayn. I really thought you weren’t here. Is your fever still so high?“

Zayn shook his head, but even as he did so he felt some of the dizziness return, making him feel a little giddy with the movement. “It’s not so bad now,“ he replied after a moment. “But, like, I just don’t wanna be alone.“

Liam hooked his chin over Zayn’s shoulder and nodded. “I won’t leave you alone anymore then. That party was… stupid anyway.“

“Where’s Veronica?“ Zayn asked. “You went to the party with her, didn’t you?“

Liam shrugged, the movement crushing Zayn flush against Liam’s muscular chest. “She had to stay behind because her friend’s boyfriend did something mean to one of the party guests and he was upset about that. I didn’t understand it very well. It’s all a big mess, though. Everything. Zayn, I…“

“Shhh, it’s okay now. You’re here.“

Zayn pulled back a little and, hooking a finger under Liam’s chin, tilted it up. “I’d never ditch you for anyone else, you know. I wouldn’t do that.“

Liam nodded gravely, like they were sealing some sort of deal. “I know. But it’s not her fault anyway.“

Liam’s eyes and lips were shining in the faint lamp from the faint light of the telly and Zayn felt the overwhelming urge to sink his teeth into Liam’s bottom lip and suck it until they were both out of breath.

And then he followed this impulse without further thought. He crushed his lips against Liam’s, feeling their plushness and… there was the faint memory of an aroma Zayn hadn’t tasted in a while, but it was unmistakeable. Snapping his head back, he stared at Liam.

“You had sex. With a girl.“

Liam pressed his lips together like he was fighting not to cry and nodded. “I… it was… Zayn, it was Veronica. I’m so sorry, mate. I, um, I didn’t know you felt that way about me. And I’m sorry I did things with your sister. I guess I suck as a best mate. I’m really… I’m so, so sorry. I didn’t mean for this to happen. It just kind of did and… I’m sorry. Do you… do you really fancy me?“

Zayn burst into incedulous laughter at the end of Liam’s diatribe. How could that knob never have noticed? Zayn had gone without any sex for the last six months, just because he wanted to show Liam that he was serious about him. He’d complimented him, hung out with his fucking snakes and taken him back home and he hadn’t understood anything at all.

“I fancied you when I thought you weren’t a complete and utter twat,“ Zayn replied at last, still shaking with laughter. “Come on, Liam, I thought you knew.“

Liam was squirming under his gaze like he wanted to jump out of his own skin and slither away like one of his snakes. His eyes were enormous as he stared back at Zayn, clearly struggling to find the right words to express what he wanted to say.

“Zayn, it’s not that you aren’t really, really fit. I mean, wow, man…“

“Then what is it? I mean, c’mon, we both know you’re into dick. You have this pretty embarrassing Ryan Gosling calendar in your bedroom. You’re not into pussy.“

Liam leaned back against the couch, running his hands through his hair and pulling it up every now and then, like he needed to punish himself for the escalation of this situation.

“I don’t… I mean, I don’t care about that so much. I just like people and whatever, um, equipment they end up having is fine with me. I don’t choose them with any particular, um, thing in mind,“ he ended lamely. “Look, it’s… I really, I like both of you, but, like, I like Veronica…. well, not more, but in a different way.“

It was then that Zayn vowed to destroy his sister. She had been his arch nemesis fort he vast majority of their lives, had fought him and betrayed him and now she had manoeuvred him into this humiliating situation and everything between him and Liam was weird and awkward. Why had he even kissed him? That damn fever had made him hasty, but he could still turn this situation around if he didn’t show any of the turmoil inside of him now.

“Oh. Okay, I get that, Liam. Sometimes you just like someone else better, that’s perfectly cool. Just treat my sister right, okay? It’s all I’m asking.“

He even managed to smile at Liam and he felt that he deserved a Nobel Peace Prize nomination for that; the things were given out for less of an effort than that.

“Of course! I promise, I’ll be so good to her, the perfect b-boyfriend. Provided she wants to go steady and all. I… well.“ Liam rubbed the back of his head, smiling a little sheepishly. “I’m glad you’re cool with this, by the way. For a moment there I thought that you’d want to throw me out or something.“

Zayn laughed and lightly slapped Liam’s arm, feeling like he was going to either go insane or reach the lofty state of sainthood any minute now.

“You wouldn’t survive the city jungle, mate. Let’s go and watch some telly. You need to familiarize yourself with British pop culture.“

They spent the rest of the night watching telly, neither of them wanting to be the one who left first. Zayn had managed to dissipate most of the tension between them, yes, but he knew that it would take a while before their mutual trust was back to where it had been.

When he was sure Liam had drifted off to sleep, Zayn licked his lips; he could still taste Veronica there. Shaking his head, he willed the vision of her to to vanish, to leave him the fuck alone. He didn’t care about her or what happened to her at all.

This was a war and he was going to let her know. He’d be so kind and not let her stumble into her own doom without warning, but that was all he was going to do for her. She shouldn’t have crossed into territory that very clearly wasn’t hers.

Was she really doing this on purpose? Or did she really not know any better? Well, he’d find out soon enough and plan accordingly. And there was still Niall Horan…

 

7.

Veronica came back home at eight in the morning. She needed to hurry and take a shower before class. Yesterday’s make-up was still smudged into her skin, making it look like this was a walk of shame when it was one of triumph really. She’d called Louis on the cab ride here and made him promise to call Harry and explain himself to his boyfriend.

“I don’t care how much grovelling it’ll take you, but I want you to make this all right again,“ she’d told him. “I’ll not fall into the parent trap.“ And with that she’d hung up on him, feeling smug about this end to their conversation.

When she opened the front door she could hear the faint sound of the telly. Someone was up, it seemed. When she walked into the living room she only found Zayn there. Liam was probably at work already.

Her brother’s eyes were closed and he seemed to be asleep. Walking over to the couch, she bent down to grab the remote when suddenly she was grabbed by the wrist and dragged down onto the couch. She shrieked when Zayn rolled on top of her, startled by his sudden attack.

Pinning her wrists over her head, he looked down at her. Her legs had fallen open and he was kneeling between them, an eerie repetition of Liam’s position the previous night. Zayn’s lips were close enough to kiss as he glared down at there and an involuntary shiver ran down Veronica’s spine. She felt her nipples harden with the shiver, but if Zayn noticed he gave no indication of it.

“What the hell were you thinking?“ he hissed in her face. “Seriously, Veronica, what were you thinking? Did you think I brought Liam here because he’s my best mate? Did you think that was all there was to it? Fuck, I’ve done more for a simple fuck!“

Veronica struggled against him, but his hands were surprisingly strong and her wrists burned where he was holding her. Bucking against him, she tried to land a knee in his stomach, but all she managed to do was make one of his knees slide between her legs.

Her breath hitched in her throat when she looked up at him. “He likes me better than you,“ she said defiantly. “That’s what’s bothering you, isn’t it? Or are you mad because someone likes me at all?“

“I don’t give a fuck who likes you or who wants to carve out your heart with a wooden spoon,“ Zayn hissed and she felt his warm breath against her lips.

His knee was pressing against her pussy under her skirt and he grinned when he felt how soaked her knickers were. It was just because she’d spent the past twenty-four hours in a state of frustrated arousal. He was just a knob who had to make everything about his cock.

“You might think you’ve won the war, sister, but this was just one battle. I’ll get him back.“

“Is that a promise or a threat?“ Veronice replied through gritted teeth.

She could feel sweat pearl on her forehead; Zayn’s feverishly hot body was too much, too close, way too close. With a last shove of his knee against her pussy he sat up and wandered away like nothing had happened.

Veronica could feel her pulse hammering against her throat and temples as she watched his retreating back and her blood was roaring in her ears, momentarily blocking out all other noise. What the actual fuck had just happened? Had her brother really declared war to her over Liam Payne? Had he really been that fucking smug about a function of her body she couldn’t bloody help? Had he… no, no, no. She was done playing nice or trying to understand what the hell was going on in Zayn’s brain. From now on she wouldn’t listen to anyone but Louis Tomlinson. Louis might have hurt Harry, but at this point Veronica wasn’t sure she even cared about damaging anyone in her quest for retribution. Zayn would pay for this and he’d bloody beg for her to stop by the time she was done with him.

 

Liam found a female snake that day and it led him to a nest of eggs. The snake hissed at him when he tried to reopen the mound the snake had put her eggs into, but a couple of pokes with a twig later and the snake gave up. The Ruby-Red Mandrake Snake wasn’t famous for its parenting snake. With a decidedly offended hiss, it slithered away, presumably to tell all the other snakes about the kidnapper lurking in the habitat.

Careful not to squish them, Liam picked up the eggs and shovelled them onto the petri dish he’d brought with him. He’d put them into an incubator and make sure all of the little snakes would survive. He carried the eggs back to the lab and set up the incubator. One half of them would become male, he decided, the others would be females. He put the girl snake eggs into a different incubator, setting a different temperature for them.

His work always made him happy, but he’d never been so relieved to get out of the house as he’d been this morning. The night he’d spent with Zayn on the couch had been downright bizarre and that was a word Liam never used to describe anything.

He hadn’t wanted to leave because he didn’t want Zayn to feel like things were weird between them now, but they were, of course. His best mate was in love with him while he was making plans of seducing his twin sister. Of course that was weird. How could it not be when, in some way, when he was kinda planning on fucking Zayn? Because Veronica and Zayn were bleeding together into one entity in Liam’s mind. Fuck it all, they were twins, after all. They even moved the same way sometimes. How was his poor, overworked brain supposed to see the difference at all times?

He carefully placed the eggs in the incubator and closed the lids. He was just about done for the day here. Finding a female and following it back to its nest had taken the better part of the day. Perhaps it was time to find Veronica and try to have a conversation about the entire situation with her. He wasn’t going to mention what Zayn had done, of course, but there was no reason why he couldn’t talk to her about her hopes for their relationship. He wanted to go steady with her, he realised. He wasn’t the kind of person who enjoyed flings and while he wanted her, wanted her so desperately it fucking hurt, he wasn’t going to treat her like she was just a lay.

Pulling up Safari on his mobile phone, he searched for her uni. He could be there in time for her last class of the day. He’d just wait until she came out of the building and take her out for dinner or something. That would be nice and a good atmosphere to discuss the sort of thing he wanted to talk about with her.

Yes, that was precisely what he was going to do and he wouldn’t think about Zayn or that stupid kiss or how weirdly erotic it had been to see Zayn’s face when he’d tasted his sister on Liam’s lips at all.

 

England was very cold compared to the Australian summer and Liam was shivering quite violently by the time Veronica came out of the building, her long legs hugged by thigh-high leather boots. When she saw him, she smiled, perhaps a little shyly and came over to the bench he’d been waiting on.

“What’re you doing here?“ she asked.

“Wanted to see you,“ Liam replied between chattering teeth. “Is it always this cold here? Can we, like, go to some restaurant or something? I wanted to take you out for dinner.“

Veronica smiled at him and for a moment Liam saw the image of her brother plastered over her face like some odd double image on a blurry photo. Willing Zayn’s face to disappear, he offered his arm to her and she took it.

“There’s an Italian place just around the corner. I think we need to get you out of the cold or you’ll be poorly, sugar.“

Liam would be eternally grateful for her quick thinking, he really would. Following her to the Italian place, he tried his best to collect his thoughts so he wouldn’t make a complete fool of himself when he tried talking to her. He wasn’t even sure if Veronica wanted him the way he wanted her. What if he was going to be laughed at? What if… but no, Liam couldn’t keep acting like a little boy. He’d come a long way from the kid who’d spent his breaks crying in the boys’ bathroom. That Liam was gone forever.

His doubts melted when they stepped into the warmth of the Italian restaurant and Veronica let him take her coat from her. He put it onto the hook by the door and they were seated quickly. The place was dimly lit, creating a positively romantic atmosphere. The cream table cloths reflected the light back to them, painting shadows over Veronica’s beautiful face.

“I’d like to apologise for yesterday, Liam. That was… a really bad situation for me. I really wanted to be with you, but Harry needed me and I couldn’t leave him alone, could I? He was in a really bad place last night and he needed a friend to talk him out of it. I would’ve loved to go home with you and continue where we left off, but…“

She shrugged eloquently and Liam reached over the table to take her hand in his, tracing the delicate bones of her wrist with his forefinger.

“I understand and I don’t want you to feel bad about that. It’s really not your fault at all. I, um, I was just thinking if perhaps we should talk about what happened. I don’t really do this… sex with no emotions attached thing. There are lots of guys who’re really great at it, but I can’t do that. Veronica, I… I want to be with you. I don’t want this to be just a fling.“

“I know, babe. I don’t want it to be a fling either.“

Something flitted over her features, but it was gone too quickly for Liam to tell what it was.

He squeezed her hand lightly and she smiled at him. Yes, this was the beginning of something, Liam could feel it in his very bones; something new and wonderful was starting between them and he made a silent vow to make this the happiest time of Veronica Malik’s life.

 

8.

Liam seemed to have sealed the deal with his sister. Neither of them had really come out and told Zayn the details about this unholy union, but they spent a lot of time in each other’s rooms and there were smiles and touches under the table when they thought he wasn’t looking. Zayn was no idiot, though: even as the weeks passed and they were nearing the beginning of December they hadn’t banged.

Zayn was sure that he would have known if they had. There was always some kind of sign for these things and they weren’t present here at all. There were no used condoms (not that he’d checked, at least he was never going to admit to the uncomfortable half hour he’d rummaged in the dust bin) and they never slept in each other’s rooms. This was probably one of Liam’s stupid, gentlemanly rules: you could only have sex with a girl if you’d spent a carefully planned period of time courting her first.

Zayn wasn’t going to complain about Liam Payne’s behaviour, though. It served him quite well because it gave him the time necessary to plan his next attack.

He’d noticed the admiring look Liam gave Veronica’s legs. At this time of winter she had to wear stockings in order to be able to wear those stupid short skirts. Well, she’d stop wearing those skirts for a while now because Zayn was going to destroy the stockings.

When the scissors gleamed in his hand, silver and slightly dangerous, he noted wryly that he was turning back into a little kid. Well, no matter, he had a mission. Veronica had left the house at seven this morning and only Liam was still here. He carefully opened the door to Veronica’s room, making sure to be silent so it wouldn’t creak and disturb Liam in his own room. He fumbled for the light switch when a croaky voice cut through the darkness, making him flinch.

“Veronica? Have you forgotten something, love?“

Fucking hell. So Liam had spent the night in Veronica’s bed and he was here and he’d see Zayn and the scissors and know what a childish twat he was! He needed to do something, he needed to…

“Just my purse,“ he purred in a falsetto voice he hoped sounded like his sister’s. “Go back to sleep, sugar.“

“Mmm, no. ’m awake now. C’mere, love.“

Zayn could hear the sheets rustle and God, how he would have loved to cuddle up next to Liam, feeling his warmth and, well, those abs of steel, but Zayn was fairly sure that the lack of tits and the hardness of his cock would’ve given him away.

“I gotta run, love,“ he squeaked, hoping Liam would buy that.

“Just one kiss,“ Liam whined. “C’mon, you can give me one kiss.“

And fuck, Zayn had been good, he’d been so good and he deserved a kiss for his patience and all, didn’t he? Silently crossing the space between them, he knelt on the bed beside Liam, feeling the mattress dip slightly under his weight. Leaning down, he searched for Liam’s face in the dark. He could feel his breath and his silent, solid presence beside him. He gently pressed his lips against Liam’s, just for a second. It felt so good, Liam’s plush lips under his, but he couldn’t give in and let himself be greedy. If he let this go on any longer Liam would want to touch him and he’d know it wasn’t Veronica, after all. It was a wonder he’d fallen for the falsetto voice so far.

“I really gotta run now,“ he said in a whisper. “Love you, babe.“

He could feel his blood hammer against his throat as he hastily closed the door behind himself and leaned his back against it. Fuck. Fucking hell. He’d kissed Liam and it hadn’t even been as himself and now he wouldn’t get to cut up Veronica’s stupid stockings and it had all been in vain and made everything worse because he couldn’t forget the way Liam’s tongue had brushed against his bottom lip, just how he liked it, and how that had made his heart bounce in his chest. Stupid little heart didn’t know they hadn’t won the war yet.

Ignoring the longing pulsing through his body, he put the scissors away and went to class. He’d think of something else to do eventually.

 

Veronica spent her lunch break at the radio station. She alternated between meeting Harry for lunch somewhere and coming here now that London’s number one power couple were taking a break. Louis’ mood hadn’t improved any and he was even snapping at his staff now because he couldn’t take out his anger on the listeners calling in to ask him for relationship advice. She heard his voice even as she passed the lady at the reception desk.

“I’ve told you a million times that Millicent Bulmer is not an actual old little lady living in Brighton, but one of Nick’s cronies!“ he yelled. “Do not have me answer her calls ever! And even if she was a real person what do I care about her fucking cats?“

Veronica flinched when she heard him come undone like that. Louis wasn’t normally the kind of person to just yell at others. He was sassy, yes, but not abusive. His temporary separation from Harry didn’t bode well for the future. What if this became permanent? She ahd a brief vision of Louis marauding in the streets and burning anything that offended him in any way, shape or form.

Shuddering, she rounded the corner where Louis was standing, yelling at a poor little intern.

“Louis, I’m here,“ she said softly, hoping that her voice would make him snap out of whatever it was that he was doing here.

She could see his chest puff out with the deep breath he was taking and he turned around to her. His eyes had been narrowed, but were slowly widening out again. “Hey.“

Taking him by the arm, she walked him to the break room. He was oddly pliable, not even trying to pull his arm away. And suddenly she felt him shiver under her touch and a moment later he angrily dragged his wrist over his eyes.

“This whole thing fucking sucks,“ he sniffed. “I didn’t… I don’t know how to do this without Harry. I don’t feel the same anymore. I don’t know how to give other people advice when I’ve fucked my own love life up so spectacularly. I just can’t do it.“

Veronica wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him in for a hug. Normally Louis wasn’t the cuddly sort, that was Harry’s job, but he went easily and even hugged her back.

“Have you tried talking to him perhaps?“ she asked. “Have you tried explaining to him why you did it?“

Louis shook his head. “Damn if I knew. I just… it seemed like a funny idea at the time and I didn’t even think that it might hurt Harry or anything. I just didn’t think that it’d matter, you know? It would just have been a good laugh and maybe Nick would’ve been bitchy for a while, but Harry… I didn’t think about him at all and he’s so angry about that, I think. He was… he fucking yelled at me.“

Harry Styles never yelled, it was completely out of character for him to do so, and Veronica could start to see just how deep the trench between the two of them was starting to become. If they didn’t talk to each other very soon there would be no bridge wide enough to cross the distance between them.

“I think that what you need to do is… you need to find out why the hell you hate Nick Grimshaw so much. I mean, when did it all start? Did he say anything to you? Is it because he’s so close to Harry? What is it?“

Louis shook his head in disbelief. “You don’t know? No, you really don’t know. I thought Harry had told you. Apparently it’s not something he likes talking about anymore. But… go and ask him. Seriously. I don’t think it’s my story to tell. And I should go back and finish my show anyway. But do go and ask him and then come back and tell me I’m overreacting.“

Veronica felt something tingle in her chest. There was something here, something she’d overseen and it was just at the edge of her vision. Louis was a bitch and not particularly nice, but he was no liar. If he said there was a good reason for him to behave the way he did there probably was and she needed to find out about it if she wanted to help these two find their way back together.

As things were she couldn’t do anything for her friends so she left the radio station, making sure to pose prettily for the reception desk lady who was probably hoping to sell her photo to the paps. She’d call Harry later and try to set things right. For now she had a couple of boring English classes to attend.

 

The Ruby-Red Mandrake Snake babies all died on the day Zayn had kissed Liam in the dark. Liam found the eggs cracked, but none of the snakes had made it out alive. Yanking two plastic gloves over his hands, he cleaned out the incubators and buried the snakes in the habitat.

He’d known it was Zayn. Liam might be gullible, but he was no idiot. He knew his own girlfriend’s voice and he knew that she didn’t sound like a vampire with a headcold. Besides, the faint scent of smoke clung to all of Zayn’s clothes while Veronica smelled of oranges and washing detergent. He’d known perfectly well that it was Zayn and he’d still asked him for a kiss.

Silently cursing himself, he closed the mound over the dead snakes and spoke a silent prayer for them. Perhaps he shouldn’t have tried to interfere with nature. Perhaps that was the problem. And he definitely shouldn’t have asked Zayn for a kiss. He couldn’t forget it, that was the problem. Zayn’s mouth had tasted bitter-sweet against his tongue, like dark chocolate. The tobacco taste hadn’t nearly been as disgusting as he’d thought it would be.

“Payno?“ Eleanor, one of the lab assistants turned up behind him, cutting into his thoughts. “I, um, this is my fault. I was trying to fix the centrifuge and the electricity was down for nearly an hour. Something went wrong with the snakes during that time. I’m really sorry about that.“

She tucked her dark hair behind her ear and bit her lip. She looked so sad and guilty that Liam almost felt sorry for her. It wasn’t Eleanor’s fault that this had happened. She’d only tried to repair lab equipment, after all. He held out an arm for her and she came closer. Wrapping his arms, he hugged her for a moment.

“It’s fine, love, don’t worry about it. Just help me find new eggs, okay?“

They spent the rest of the afternoon sneaking through the snake habitat, but they found no female snake, only one male who looked suspiciously like the young gentleman Liam had approached at his first day of work here. It was hard work, but at least it took his mind off his Zayn problem.

“I think we should call it a day,“ Liam said when it was just past six. “Thank you for your help, Eleanor.“

“It was the least I could do. I’m really sorry, Liam. Perhaps I can make it up to you somehow. Like, if you ever need me to sleep beside the incubators or something I’ll totally do that.“

Liam laughed at the idea of anyone being as crazy as him about the snakes. “That’s fine. Or… we could make it some kind of event. You know, a bonding experience for all the lab employees. That’d be fun, right?“

“I’ll talk to the others and see what I can do. I gotta run now. I have a date with that cutie from the penguin station. See you!“

Liam was fairly certain that the penguin bloke was a twat, but perhaps she needed to make this mistake by herself. He’d definitely offer cuddles if she needed them later. Besides, who was he to judge anyone else’s love life? His own was fucked up enough as it was.

He hang around the snake habitat, just wandering between the trees and bushes without looking for anything. He didn’t want to go home and face Veronica after what he’d done with her brother that morning. Fuck. Why the hell had he done this?

He could’ve just told Zayn to get lost and let him sleep, but instead he’d asked him to come over and kiss him. Why? The question kept spinning through his mind, but he just didn’t find an answer.

Liam loved Veronica, he was absolutely sure about that. She was smart, funny and incredibly beautiful. Besides, she seemed to get him. She understood his insecurities and always made sure to pull him out of his worse moods so he wouldn’t have time to get too lost in them. She was the perfect girl for him, but perhaps he was greedy and wanted too much?

He wasn’t content with one sibling anymore, he needed both. Or something.

He just couldn’t figure this out and so he kept walking through the habitat until it was well past dinner time. At last he came upon a seemingly fresh mound. He wasn’t too hopeful, but when he uncovered the soil he found a nest of freshly laid eggs. Scooping them up, he carefully placed them in a petri dish. Maybe the rest of his life was a mess, but at least he had his snakes back.

Humming to himself, he walked back towards the lab.

 

Veronica had tried calling Harry after school, but he wouldn’t pick up his phone, even on the second call. Frowning, she looked down at her own display, wondering if her phone was broken or something. Harry loved his phone and he was never too far from it. What the hell was going on? Was he trying to ignore her on purpose or something? She really wanted to know what was going on between him and Louis, but she knew that Louis wouldn’t tell her. She had to go straight to the source.

Her mood didn’t improve when she arrived home and Liam wasn’t there. Zayn was sitting on the couch, some pretty blonde sitting beside him. The girl had incredibly big blue eyes and ridiculous candyfloss hair that Veronica would have loved to be able to pull off.

“Hi! You’re Veronica, right? My name’s Perrie!“

The blonde beamed at her and Veronica felt like slapping her hand aside. What the hell was Zayn doing? He’d been so good about this for a while. Was he going to start bringing his fuck toys back home again now that it was obvious Liam had made his choice and it wasn’t going to be Zayn?

“Hello, Perrie,“ Veronica said coolly. “Nice to meet you. Please excuse me, I had a long day and I’d like to cuddle with my boyfriend.“

“Liam isn’t here, but you’re welcome to share dinner with us,“ Zayn said pleasantly, like they hadn’t been trying to ignore each other’s presence for the past month. “Perrie made us lasagna.“

It felt almost like Zayn had planned the entire thing: everyone knew that lasagna was Veronica’s number one comfort food and the smell from the kitchen really was delicious. Well, he would have hardly instructed his blonde bitch to poison Veronica. She could probably just eat and by the time they were finished Liam would come and gush about the baby snakes who were due to be born today. Everything would be just fine.

“Okay, let me get the plates then,“ she said with a smile and Perrie beamed up at her.

Veronica had tried calling Harry after school, but he wouldn’t pick up his phone, even on the second call. Frowning, she looked down at her own display, wondering if her phone was broken or something. Harry loved his phone and he was never too far from it. What the hell was going on? Was he trying to ignore her on purpose or something? She really wanted to know what was going on between him and Louis, but she knew that Louis wouldn’t tell her. She had to go straight to the source.

Her mood didn’t improve when she arrived home and Liam wasn’t there. Zayn was sitting on the couch, some pretty blonde sitting beside him. The girl had incredibly big blue eyes and ridiculous candyfloss hair that Veronica would have loved to be able to pull off.

“Hi! You’re Veronica, right? My name’s Perrie!“

The blonde beamed at her and Veronica felt like slapping her hand aside. What the hell was Zayn doing? He’d been so good about this for a while. Was he going to start bringing his fuck toys back home again now that it was obvious Liam had made his choice and it wasn’t going to be Zayn?

“Hello, Perrie,“ Veronica said coolly. “Nice to meet you. Please excuse me, I had a long day and I’d like to cuddle with my boyfriend.“

“Liam isn’t here, but you’re welcome to share dinner with us,“ Zayn said pleasantly, like they hadn’t been trying to ignore each other’s presence for the past month. “Perrie made us lasagna.“

It felt almost like Zayn had planned the entire thing: everyone knew that lasagna was Veronica’s number one comfort food and the smell from the kitchen really was delicious. Well, he would have hardly instructed his blonde bitch to poison Veronica. She could probably just eat and by the time they were finished Liam would come and gush about the baby snakes who were due to be born today. Everything would be just fine.

 

“Okay, let me get the plates then,“ she said with a smile and Perrie beamed up at her.

Veronica had no idea what a sweet girl like Perrie wanted with her asshole of a brother, but decided not to question it. If he had found someone new to play with then he would leave her and Liam alone and that was what counted, right?

She found a couple of matching plates in the cupboard and set the table. She didn't see or feel Zayn's gaze on her back and if she had she would have probably poked her tongue out at him.

 

Zayn was very happy about his handiwork. He hadn't thought that it would be so easy. Of course he'd been courting Perrie for a while now, but never seriously. He'd been surprised when she'd suggested cooking for him, but he hadn't complained, of course. All of this was working out too well for him to fuck it up.

He'd figured that since playing damsel in distress hadn't worked he might try to make Liam jealous. Besides, they still needed to get back to a less strained relationship with each other and what better way was there than to show Liam that he was over him? He wasn't sure if it was going to work with Liam, but it would definitely lull Veronica into a false sense of security. He'd strike when she least expected it.

“D'you want to have some wine with the food?” Veronica asked over her shoulder. “I bought some the other day.”

“Oh, that'd be great!” Perrie jumped up and walked over to the fridge to look at what Veronica had bought. “Wow, that's the good stuff. That bottle must've cost like 50 quid, right? Were you gonna have a party or something?”

“Oh, it was for my friends to celebrate their anniversary, but they're taking a break right now so they won't need this,” Veronica replied, pushing her hair behind her ear. “So let's enjoy this. Besides, you're gonna need this once you get to know my brother better.”

Throwing her head back, Perrie laughed. “I love sibling rivalry, it's so cute. But seriously, is there anything about your brother I should know?” she stage-whispered.

Zayn rolled his eyes at the girls and looked away. He had no idea what Veronica was going to tell Perrie and part of him didn't even want to know. It couldn't be good and while normally he wouldn't have cared about her opinion of him at all, but what was normal these days? It often felt like Zayn's entire life was spinning out of the orbit of control and all he could do was sit back and hope for the best.

“Well,” Veronica began. “If Zayn likes you he'll fight to the death for you. That's probably the best thing I can say about him.”

Zayn's eyes were fixed on Veronica's face now, watching. He desperately wanted her to say something more. This couldn't possibly be the only good quality he possessed in her eyes. It wasn't the only thing he wanted to be for her, someone who'd fight. There had to be something more. He had to be something more than that to her. And what had she meant by 'if he likes you'?

“I'd prefer not to have to do any actual fighting, though. I'm lazy so don't provoke huge guys with guns, please.”

Perrie laughed again like she just found the entire thing hilarious although Zayn was being perfectly serious. He didn't want to fight for her. She was meant to be fling, a decoy, a means to an end, certainly not a huge romantic relationship.

His dropped onto the backrest of the couch and he watched as the girls put the food on the table and started serving slices of lasagna. He wasn't feeling hungry at all. He just wanted to curl up under his blanket and never come back out. Stupid Veronica. Why did she even have a mouth to speak with?

“Z, are you coming?” she asked just then, gesturing at the table.

“Can't you bring it over here?” he asked miserably.

“Is there something wrong with your legs?”

“Please, just...” He trailed off, unsure how to complete his sentence.

All of this felt wrong. It wasn't at all how he had planned it and that was making him feel insecure and that in turn led to more misery. Why was his life starting to feel like he had no control over it?

To his surprise Veronica picked up a plate and set it in front of him. Settling on the couch next to him, she poked his ribs. “What's wrong? Are you getting sick again?”

She reached out to feel his forehead and there it was again, that heady scent of oranges and clean girl underneath. Zayn jerked his head back, suddenly angry.

“Not everything's about fevers. Go away.”

“You're such an asshole sometimes,” Veronica snapped and stormed off to her room, slamming the door shut behind herself.

There he was, his nostrils full of her scent, and there was Perrie and her lasagna and all Zayn wanted to do was cry until his chest didn't feel so damn heavy with all the things he could never say and do.

Later that night he fucked Perrie and it wasn't bad, not at all. He'd gone without sex for far too long anyway and she was very sweet and very willing to go along with whatever he wanted. Perrie wasn't the problem, it was all him. It felt to him like he was just going through the motions, doing what he himself had established as good sex etiquette. He went down on her, he fingered her, he fucked her. He gave her all the orgasms she could have possibly wanted and more, but it didn't do anything to quench the thirst inside of him, that nameless hunger he'd been fighting for too long.

When he came it felt like he was a robot spewing oil, not like a man having an orgasm. He might as well have been a doll or something for all the good it did him.

“Oh wow,” Perrie gasped, rolling onto her back.

Zayn watched her breasts bounce against her chest and felt shocked at his complete and utter lack of interest. She was lovely, a blonde goddess of the sort he'd always favoured over all others, but he couldn't bring himself to care even when she slipped a hand between her thighs to stroke herself.

“I'm going for a smoke,” he murmured. “I'll be right back.”

He slipped into his boxers, grabbed his cigarettes and closed the door behind himself. Padding into the living area, he caught sight of Veronica sitting at the kitchen counter with a huge bowl of ice cream in front of her. He sat down next to her and tugged at the end of her braid.

“Hey. I'm sorry about before.”

She didn't turn to look at him and so he just looked at her, at her slim body in the old faded Pjs. They had Simba from The Lion King on them. Funny how she still fit into her Disney apparel while she'd gone on to become a seriously fit girl. He reached out to trace the outline of Simba's face with his finger and he felt her thigh go tense under him, like every single muscle in her leg was coiled like wire, ready to release and run at a moment's notice.

“Don't touch me.”

Zayn reluctantly pulled back his hand, resting it on his own knee. “Veronica, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you.”

“You never mean what you do, right?” She shoved away the ice cream and turned to him and even in the dim light from the hallway he could see that she'd been crying. Her mascara was smudged about her eyes like an untalented artist had tried to draw on her face. “Just stop messing with me, Zayn. I'm trying my level best not to be a bitch about this, okay? I know full well that you like Liam and I'm trying not to do anything with him in front of you. I'm trying to be nice and you just-”

Zayn grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her towards him. He'd underestimated the momentum and Veronica stumbled off the bar stool and between his legs. Angling himself downwards, he crushed her against him. She felt so small and fragile in his arms although he knew that she wasn't. She was his enemy and he would keep hating her once this moment was over, but fuck, she wasn't supposed to cry. No one was allowed to make his sister cry and normally he would've punched the asshole in the face if he hadn't liked his own reflection in the mirror too much to do that.

“Babe, shhh. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.”

She kept fighting him for a moment, but then went still in his arms and eventually she relaxed against him, letting him take her weight. Her shoulders were shaking with sobs although she made no sound.

“Zayn,” she whispered at last. “Please don't-”

And he opened his arms and let her go because he knew he had no right to keep her there. She quickly padded into the darkness of the living room and a moment later he heard her door click shut. He lit his cigarette then and started filling the air with thin, blue tendrils of smoke that burned away the sweet fragrance Veronica had left behind.


End file.
